Hello Halcyon Days
by no-rhyme-no-reason-in-love
Summary: All he ever wanted is to protect. Now that there is peace after the war, Ichigo will find out he can have other wants. What happened in those ten years that leads Ichigo and Orihime to marry and have a child? Join Ichigo as he finds his halcyon days. (Set right after the Quincy Arc).
1. The Sun

A/N: I couldn't help myself! I had to write fanfiction for the now canon Ichihime! They are my first ship ever! So I hope you enjoy and review!

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"Wah~" She yawns with her hands stretched above her head. She looks like she is trying to reach the sun which is slowly descending into a sunset. I offer a small smirk as we walk.

"Tired?" Chad asks her in his deep voice. I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her answer.

"Mmm!" She affirms with a smile. "Aren't you Sado-kun?"

He gives her the classic thumbs-up, and she laughs. Mirth dances around her eyes, and it feels so good to hear her laugh. To know that there is no more evil clinging to us. I chuckle.

"Always one with the words," Ishida quips in a snarky tone.

"At least he doesn't bore his opponents to death with long speeches," I mumble. Ishida blushes and is about to respond when she breaks out in a fit of giggles. "What?" I gently question her as my lips threaten to curl up.

"It's just like the time after we saved Kuchiki-san! Kurosaki-kun and Ishida-kun are still bickering! Nothing's changed!" Ishida, Chad, and I look at each other, and we can't stop the smile that overtakes our faces. She is right. Nothing has changed, and it feels good to hear it out loud. After all we have been through, the arrancars, the fullbringers, the quincy war, the betrayal we thought Ishida committed, Yhwach, everything, we are still here. Still friends. Finally, safe and happy.

"Inoue-san is still as lively as ever that's for sure," Ishida remarks. I squint, not sure if it is an insult or compliment. Either way, I bristle. I open my mouth to snap at him, but he interrupts me. "Oh, this is me. I will see you at school." He turns and waves, and my mouth snaps shut. We wave back, and Inoue shouts, "Bye Ishida-kunnn!" He looks back, and he smiles. Hmm…

"I guess I should take off, too. I'm going to stop by Urahara-san's first." We say goodbye to him, and he jogs off, leaving Inoue and I alone. I peek at her, using my peripherals, and she is blushing. A lot.

Before I can say something, she hides behind her hair and hands and stutters, "I-I gue-ss I should be going. Kurosaki-k-kun's house is that way, ne?"

She points to the direction of my home, and I follow her gesture. She's right. We should part, but I don't make any move. I just stand quietly next to her. "I'll walk you home."

"Eh?! That's oh-okay, Kurosaki-kun! You must be tired, too!" She starts waving her hands in front of her like she is dismissing my offer, and she is. But I press on.

"I'm fine. Let me walk you home, Inoue." She looks like she is about to reject me again, but she seems to change her mind. She lowers her hands and looks up at me. She is flushed with a grin on her face. She just nods furiously.

I hold back a smile as we begin to quietly walk side-by-side toward her house. I glance at her, and she walks with her hands clasped behind her back, with a small skip to her step. She looks at me, and I advert my gaze. She giggles.

"It feels weird, doesn't it, Kurosaki-kun?" I look at her. "Everything is normal again."

I scoff. "I don't think we were ever 'normal,' Inoue." Not with all that we are and all that we have been through. I keep this to myself. She pouts.

"That's true! All I know for sure, though," she begins while looking ahead, "is that us being here, peacefully, and me being here with you is all the normal I could ever want."

"I-I…uh." I let out lamely. What did that mean?! Her words are the only thing that seems weird, but when I look at her, she is gently smiling. It seems like she is and her words are completely…normal.

The gurgle of her stomach makes up for my loss of words, and for that, I am grateful. "That's right. We didn't have anything to eat before they opened the Senkaimon." I look around the streets, and I see a small restaurant. "Let's stop by there and get something to eat. You probably don't have anything edible at home right now. We've been gone for a while." I start to walk forward, but a pull at my jacket sleeve halts me. I give her an inquiring glance.

"Ano, Kurosaki-kun?" Her face reddens. "I don't have any money on me."

"I invited you. It's my tre-" I cut myself off as I feel around my stomach and legs. It's my turn to flush. "I-I," I falter. "I don't have my wallet, either. I guess when Tessai dropped off my body he forgot to grab my things." I rub my neck in both frustration and embarrassment. "I can't believe I would ever admit to missing Kon. At least he would have my wallet."

"It's okay, Kurosaki-kun! I'm not that hungry," she tries to deny, but her stomach growls louder than before, revealing that she is lying. She turns her back to me and holds her stomach. I see her hand make a fist, and she brings it down to her stomach like she is punishing her stomach with comical punches. I know that I am right when I hear her whisper, "Shh! Be a good little stomach." She lowers her head and coos, "Just wait for…Kurosaki-kun." I miss what she said before, but I hear my name crystal clear. "Inoue?"

She spins around. "Huh?"

I look at her, and I pull at my hair. She is clearly starving, and I am clearly embarrassed to not have any means to feed her. I try to think of something when I remember that we are close by to a meal ticket. I hit my fist in my palm. "I have an idea. Follow me."

"Where are we going?" She asks. I throw a small smile over my shoulder as she catches up to my energized stride.

"Come on," I urge her.


	2. Eel

A/N: Thanks for the warm responses to my story. I will try my best to make this as accurate as I can, meaning that the small details will be from the original Bleach as well as some quotes, so hopefully the story will seem more accurate. The pace will be slow, but it will speed up. I have ideas for this story! Be prepared for short chapters in the beginning! Longer ones will follow.

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She catches up and falls into step by me. I see her lean forward, her hands still clasped behind her back. She turns her head toward me. "Where are we going?"

"You know that part-time job I have? Well, it might be 'had' now that I think about it," I trail off in afterthought. "Anyways, my boss owns the Unagi Shop, and she said I can stop by anytime."

"Boss?" She puckers her lips as if in concentration. The sight has me looking away. "Oh! The boss that kidnapped you, right?"

My eyebrows furrow. "Kidnapped? When?" My head tilts as I try to remember.

"Don't you remember? It was around the time you started acting kind of…strange." She says the last part after hesitating. Ah. I knew what she was referring to. It was before I met Ginjou. I just nod instead of answering aloud. Thinking about that time leaves me feeling down in the dumps and-and angry. Even though Ginjou and Tsukishima helped us in the end, helped fix Tensa Zangetsu, I couldn't forget what they did to me and to Chad and…to her. Debts may have been repaid, but I couldn't erase the despair that lingers around my memories.

"aki-kun? Kurosaki-kun?" She is suddenly in front of me, waving her a hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention. I catch her wrist as her hand comes a little too close to hitting my face. She blushes and apologizes. "Sorry! I almost hurt you!" She bows immediately and when she straightens herself upright, she almost collides her head with mine. I barely lean back in time to avoid her. "Whoops! Sorry, Kurosaki-kun!"

I back up a step, putting some distance between her and I before she attempts to bow again. I gently bump my fist against her head. "Watch were you throw that thing," I joke. "You knocked me out once. Let's not go for a second time."

She grabs her head as she shakes it. She faces forward and scurries ahead. I hold in a laugh. I think I teased her too much.

"Inoue!" I jog over to her. She spins around. With her cheeks pink and her watery eyes, she blurts, "I'll keep it away from you, I promise!" I open my mouth to respond, but she cuts in. "Do you think dreams come true? Because I think I'm becoming a robot, starting with my head. I'm turning into my future self!" She doesn't wait for an answer. She just starts walking backwards, making be-poop-ing noises with her arms mimicking a robot. I snort at her until she loses her balance and falls.

"Inoue! Are you okay?!" I reach out my hand for her, but she jumps up to her feet without my help.

"I'm fine! I'm healthy as a horse!" I lower my hand and stuff it into my pocket.

"Horse? I thought you were a robot." She cracks up, and I can't even begin to suppress my grin. "Hey, are you really-"

"I think I see the shop!" She points. I look.

"Yeah. That will be it. Let me go in first, though. She can be kind of a handful." I open the door.

"Welcome! Come on in," she starts, but then she sees that is me and her cheerful, inviting demeanor she uses for customer disappears. "What the hell are you doing here, Ichigo!" She stretches her arm out and pinches my ear, pulling it. I'm forced in the shop. "You disappear for weeks, and then you just drop by! What do you want?!"

"Rest stop?" I jokingly ask.

"You son-of-a-"

"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue's voice fills the room, and we both freeze. Ikumi-san lets my ear go and a smile breaks out on her face. She's back into business mode.

"A customer? Welcome to the Unagi Shop: cheap, fast and reassuring! Not matter how odd, your business is our business! My name is Unagiya Ikumi. What can I do for you?"

I almost feel bad for letting her go on and on. "This is Inoue Orihime." Inoue bows and smiles. "We were wondering if you would…" I try to grasp at words, but just like the previous time, Inoue's growling stomach fills the silence. In the next second, I feel a sharp kick. I drop to the floor.

"What kind of person lets a girl go hungry?!" Ikumi yells. "Inoue-san, is it? Come inside. I have some leftovers from dinner." Ikumi goes out of her way to step over me while Inoue offers a quirk of her lips as she follows the other women out of the room after I tell her to go ahead. And even though my back is sore from the kick, for some reason, I smile.


	3. A Lit Night

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and adding this story to your reading list! I'm happy! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Bleach._

I rub my back as I enter the kitchen in an attempt to get Ikumi to apologize to me. She doesn't. Instead, I get a glare and a gesture for me to sit down. I take a seat next to Inoue who is already eating to her heart's content, and when she smiles at me, some crumbs cling to the corner of her mouth. Before I know it, before any conscious thought forms, my hand is inching closer to her face. Once I notice it, I snatch it back and busy myself with stuffing some rice in my mouth. I don't look over to see if _she_ noticed.

"Oi, Ichigo. Where did you going off to for so long? You missed a lot of deliveries, you punk!" Ikumi pries as she sits across from us. I pause in my guzzling down food to try to come up with a good answer. I look at Inoue, and she looks back. Her eyes widen, and she shrugs her shoulders like she doesn't know what to say either.

"We, uh, took a fieldtrip." That should be a good enough excuse. Not the whole truth but not a complete lie. She raises her eyebrows.

"'We?' Like the two of you? Together?" Ikumi questions in surprise, and the way she raises her voice, the power of suggestion in her words, I blush and try to stutter out a response.

"No way! Kuro-Dummy could never get a girl like her!" Kaoru yells as he stands in the now open doorway. My eyebrow twitches at the brat's comment.

"Well, that's true. Inoue-san is pretty and polite, and Ichigo…he's an orange haired delinquent." Ikumi adds on as Kaoru plops down next to his mother. I feel my face from into a scowl. Hmmm…why did it feel out of place all of sudden? My natural scowl felt…unnatural.

"Thank you for the compliments, Ikumi-san, but Kurosaki-kun is not a delinquent; he's the best person I know." I can hear the sincerity and conviction in Inoue's voice. "Who is this cutie, by the way?! My name is Orihime Inoue," she introduces herself to Kaoru after the deafening silence that followed from her own-compliment? Confession? What do I call what she just said?

"My name is Kaoru," the little boy silently speaks to her. He is avoiding her gaze, acting like he is shy.

"Hey, look at your elders when you talk to them."

"Shut-Shut up, Kuro-Dummy!" The brat barks out at me while is face heats up.

"Why you-!" I try to get out. I stop as I hear Inoue's laughter fill the room.

"Be nice to my kid!" Ikumi interjects and slaps my head. More laughter. And the evening continues on in that kind of manner, with jesting, insults, small-talk, and laughter.

Inoue and I both thank Ikumi for the food, Inoue more gracious than me, and before we take our leave, I ask, "So do I still have my job?"

"Of course, you do, punk! You gotta work off this meal!" She addresses me. She leans around me to look at Inoue. "And you, come back anytime you want. Okay?" Inoue nods. Ikumi really took a liking to her as did Karoru.

"Thank you, again, Ikumi-san. If it would really not be a bother, I will definitely come visit!" We wave our goodbyes after, and Inoue and I continue our way toward Inoue's home.

"Ikumi-san is so nice! And Karoru-chan is too cute!" Inoue gushes with a permanent smile etched on her face.

"Cute? Little brat…cute?" I grumble. She starts to laugh in her hand.

"Do you think I'd still have my job at the bakery?"

"I don't see why not. Your boss loves you. He'd probably give you it back if you asked. I mean, he gives you the discarded, unpopular leftovers."

"Psh! Unsold bread, Kurosaki-kun!" She reminds me.

"Yeah, yeah. Same thing," I tease her.

She pouts. "If I do get my job back, no more bread for you! And don't come crying to me when you want some," she jabs.

I roll my eyes at her. The idea of her not sharing is ridiculous. She is one of the most selfless person I've met.

We banter and talk as we near her apartment. I really didn't like her home. Too many memories lived there. Her brother's attack wasn't one of them since she moved to a new complex, but the memory of hearing that she may have been kidnapped, or even worse, killed by the arrancars was still fresh and lingering. And then there was when Tsukishima altered Inoue's perception with a stab of his bookmark/sword. That one…that memory, the whole memory hurt the most. Why did it hurt so much?

"Kurosaki-kun, I had an idea: how about we invite everyone for a gathering. I know we will see them in school on Monday, but…"

My expression softens. I knew what she wanted to say. We would see our friends soon, but it wouldn't be soon enough for us. "That sounds good. I'll text the guys. You the girls. We can have the get-together at my place tomorrow."

She squeals in happiness. "I can't wait! I'm going to call Tatsuki-chan right now!" She starts jumping up and down, her excitement becoming more uncontainable as the seconds tick by. Then she stops and tilts her head up at me. Her smile is still there, but her cheeks are now dusted with pink. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun." She appears and sounds so serious it stuns me.

"I-I just walked you home," I awkwardly dismiss. My right hand moves up to my hair and my fingers dig in.

She shakes her head. "You know what I mean, Kurosaki-kun. Thank you. For everything." She sighs, turns around, and walks to her apartment, but before she enters her home, I see her lean over the railing. She waves as she scream-whispers, "Goodnight, Kurosaki-kun!" She leaves, and I see a light escaping from the doorway and it disappear as she probably closes the door.

I stand there for a second in the same spot she left me in. It's dark. And yet, the afterimage of her smiling at me a minute ago has made the night wrongfully bright.


	4. Dense

Author's note: Hello, again! I'm glad you all are enjoying this story! It really makes me want to write more and more. I wrote this chapter multiple times with multiple beginnings and endings. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but oh well. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! (In case if anyone is wondering, this story will be having M rated themes later as Ichihime grows. Look forward to it!)

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I wake up feeling groggy. I had stayed up comforting my sisters, especially Yuzu who had taken to crying her eyes out because of my return. It seems a guy with a kimono and straw hat had scared her into thinking that I would not be able to go home. He had even given her soul tickets so that they could come visit me in soul society anytime they wanted. I scoffed when she told me that. Like the newly appointed Captain Commander could keep me away from my family and friends.

Karin was more put together than Yuzu, but I could tell that she had unshed tears building in the corner of her eyes. Every once and a while she would yawn, using it as an excuse to rub her eyes. I pointed it out, but after the first hit, I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut.

Dad was…dad. End of that story.

Feeling tired, I try to drift back to sleep, wishing to get some more of it. Just a few minutes more…

"Geeeet Uuuuup, EeCheeGoooo!" My dad shouts as he tries to jump on me. I kick him in the air, and he is flown to the wall. "Why, Ichigo, why?!"

I tsk at him as I sit up. So much for sleep.

"Is that what you're wearing for the party?" My dad shakes his head as if in disappointment. He abruptly turns around, tears flowing after him as he runs down the stairs yelling, "Masaki! Our son will never get laid!" I hear a thump, probably caused by dad flinging himself at mom's poster. Idiot.

But maybe he's right. Not-Not about the last part! He is right about the clothes, though. I better take a shower and change into something else before everyone starts getting here.

It's about five minutes into my shower when I hear a knock and Yuzu saying, "Onii-chan! Are you almost done? Orihime-chan is here!" My eyes widen, allowing the soap I used for my hair to drip into them.

"Shit!" I scream in pain. "Uh, I'm almost done! I'll be down in a second!" I pause in thought. "Keep her away from dad!" I try to hurry as much as I can while trying to avoid another painful incident. I throw on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, leaving my towel hanging around my neck to catch any water.

I skip multiple steps, willing myself to go faster. I couldn't trust my dad with Inoue. He's the biggest pervert I know, and I couldn't even imagine what he might say to her. If he is a perv around Rukia, how would he behave around Inoue?

I hear sounds coming from the kitchen, and I am almost there when I stop. Something makes me stop, and I don't why. I don't why, but I hide behind the wall and peek around the entryway. I don't know why, but I just stare at Yuzu laughing, Karin smirking, and Inoue smiling around the table while the old man lies on the floor with Karin's foot resting on him. I don't know why, but the picture of them all together, happy, makes me realize that this is what I fought for, died for, and would continue to fight for. I don't know what it means, and I don't why, but..but

"Congratulations, Karin-chan! Maybe I can come and watch!" Inoue claps her hands together. "Oh! We should play base-soccer, too! With you on my team, we would definitely win!"

Karin looks confused, probably about the game Inoue invited, but she nods anyways. Karin's eyes dart to my direction, and I instinctively duck my head out of her line of sight. "Ichi-nii, what are you doing there?"

Busted. I come out, using the towel around my neck to cover the lower part of my face. How embarrassing to be caught eavesdropping.

"I just got of the shower. Why?" Believe the lie. Believe it! She doesn't. She glares at me with suspicion, but fortunately, she doesn't say anything.

"Ah, good morning, Kurosaki-kun! Sorry for showing up so early." Despite her apology, she is beaming. "I got too excited," she admits quietly, biting her lip.

"That's-That's okay." I hike the towel a little bit higher. "Wait, what are you making?"

"Customized onigiri! They are supposed to look like all of us!" She picks up one. It's huge and tall with the seaweed laying on the top. "It's Sado-kun!"

"Yeah." I absentmindedly go closer to her. "Who are you making now?" Her eyes become bigger, and she shields the onigiri from my sight. I inch closer, trying to see it better.

A hand clasps down on my shoulder. "Come on, Ichigo. Let's give them some space." I'm then dragged away from them. "What?" I purse my lips. "Sometimes girls need privacy to talk."

"You didn't do anything to Inoue, did you?" I accuse, finding his actions to be worrisome. He looks offended, but his face changes into something serious. It's still strange to see him lose his happy-go-lucky expression.

"You hear that?" I pause and listen to laughter in the other room "Well, I haven't. Not in a long time. We've been worried about you, kid. From the fighting to you losing your powers to fighting again, you've been a poor sight for all of us." I open my mouth to argue, but one glance has me shutting my mouth. "Of course, there were moments when it felt like things were finally back to normal, but it wasn't. Now, it feels different, doesn't it?" And it does. For some unexplainable reason, things feel different.

"I don't know what you're talking about, you old pervert."

"Keep being dense, son. It's a way to live." He walks away from me. "Someone's at the door."

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._ "Ichigo! Open the damn door!"

"Tatsuki-chan's here!" Inoue comes in a fury, almost running me down. The image of a puppy rushing and waiting at the door, tail wagging, pops up in my mind, and it is reinforced when Inoue latches on to Tatsuki and rubs her cheek against her friend's.

"Cute…"

"What's cute, onii-chan?" Yuzu whispers to me while she latches onto my arm.

"What?!" I squeak out. Everyone focuses on me. I clear my throat. With their eyes on me, I start to panic. And in that panic, I blurt out the first thing that crosses my mind. "What are you doing, Tatsuki!? Just barging in here like you own to place!"

Her fist clenches. "I didn't barge in here, you jerk!"

"Yeah, you did!" I counter. I have to restrain myself from face-palming. My intent was to get the attention off me. I've only made it worse.

"A-ano, Kurosaki-kun? I let her in…I'm sorry," Inoue meekly apologizes. She hides slightly behind Tatsuki.

"Look what you did, you ass!" In turn, Tatsuki smooths Inoue's hair like she is petting her. The puppy image comes back.

"No. No. That's not what I meant." My words go unheard as the rest of our friends come inside.

I try to apologize as the day goes by, but people kept getting in the way, especially Keigo and Chizuru. I couldn't find a way to speak to Inoue. Couldn't find a way to get to her.

When she brings out the tray of onigiri, I think that would be the perfect time, but the distance between us seems to grow. Even the onigiri of Inoue and I are apart. So while we sit catching up and getting caught up on the things we missed in each other's lives, eating the food Yuzu had prepared, and just enjoying each other's company, I would stare at the tray and watch as the personalized onigiri disappear until mine alone remained.

I try to say sorry to her when she is leaving, but Tatsuki makes it difficult to get close, so I couldn't. She says goodbye to me like nothing is wrong, but to me, it feels off.

Everyone leaves eventually, and I am left with the aftermath of the gathering. I start to clear the mess when I see the lone onigiri on the tray.

"You shouldn't let that go to waste, nii-chan. Orihime-chan worked really hard on it."

I pick it up in my hand. The details of it were more distinguished than the other ones were. The hair was made of shredded carrots. She put some kind of nut for the eyes. She used the seaweed to make a robe, mimicking the way of the Shinigami attire. She even tried to make a sword out of celery.

I go to bed thinking one thought: I really screwed up.


	5. Pit

A/N: I made some people angry last chapter, didn't I? Well, there is a reason for everything. I promise. Also, this is in Ichigo's perspective. He is an unreliable narrator (first person usually is), so what he sees and knows are only what he perceives to see and know. Anyways, thanks for the love of the story! Enjoy and review!

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The next morning, not only do I feel tired, I feel guilty.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" Mizuiro asks as we walk to school.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I lie. Why?"

"You look out of it. Is this about yesterday?"

So he noticed too. That means that I didn't imagine anything. "What are you talking about?" I need confirmation.

"Arisawa-san seemed kind of cold towards you."

I roll my eyes. "Tatsuki is a little pissed at me. It'll blow over. We never hold grudges against each other."

He nods. "Is it about Inoue-san?"

The moment he says her name, I try to fake my interest by shoving my hands into my pockets and looking at the sky. "What about Inoue?"

"She seemed uncomfortable." I was right. I had hurt Inoue. "Then again, Honshō-san was being a little aggressive with her hugs."

My jaw locks. When I look back at yesterday, Chizuru had been hanging on Inoue the whole day. Try as she might, Tatsuki couldn't keep her off Inoue the entire time.

"Did you notice anything else?" I prompt.

"No. Did you?" Mizuiro looks at me, and I just shake my head. Maybe I had imagined everything.

Then why did I still have this uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach?

She doesn't come up as we continue to walk to school. It is not till we pass the school gate when I hear her name. Multiple times.

I look around, and I see group of guys scattered. "Do you keep hearing Inoue's name?"

Mizuiro looks too. "Well, Inoue-san is very popular among the males, and since she has been gone for a while, I guess they are a little excited that she's back."

I remember I had once told Inoue that it was more likely that she would be the one to be followed. Now it seems more true than ever.

"Bunch of perverts," I grunt out, glaring at them slightly.

"It's normal, isn't it? I mean, you are one of the few that doesn't think Inoue is beautiful."

It catches me off guard. "I-I never said that she…" I leave the most important word out.

"You gotta wonder how many people are going to confess to her this year."

"What do you mean?" My voice raises a notch. I clear my throat.

"We're about to graduate. A lot of people become brave when the end is near. You know?"

By this time, we are close to our homeroom. Keigo comes to greet us, and my bicep greets his throat. I sit down in my seat, lost in thought.

We _are_ about to graduate. We only have a couple of months left. Then we would all be heading our different ways. Where would we all go? Where would _she_ go?

The pit becomes even bigger.

My eyes stray forward to the desk that she would usually sit in if she were in my class. This year, though, we were separated.

"Kurosaki." I glance at Ishida. "Inoue-san came by earlier. She told me to tell you that she is sorry."

"Sorry for what?" What did she have to apologize for? I was the jerk, not her. Never her.

"She didn't say." He returns to his seat, and class starts.

When it is finally lunch, I try to pin-point her reiatsu, so I could find and go talk to her.

"Ichigo."

"Oh, hey Chad." My concentration wavers.

"You coming for lunch?" I nod and get up. As we walk to get food, I try again to locate her. I spot Tatsuki along with Chizuru and the other brown-haired girl. She gives me a nod and walks over to Chad and I. Just like I thought, her anger at me disappeared.

"Oi, Tatsuki! Where's Inoue?" She shrugs her shoulders and checks her phone.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me. Maybe I should call her."

"She said she had something to do. She'll be back before class starts," Chad reveals. I forgot that Inoue and Chad were in the same homeroom. She probably told him so he could tell us.

I'm a bit distracted during lunch and for the rest of the day. I'd been planning to confront Inoue as soon as possible, but I haven't seen her at all today. She couldn't be avoiding me, could she? The thought that she might be…I didn't like it.

Something hits me. My head turns toward Ishida who had thrown a paper ball at me. He points to the window, and I look. Smiling and waving outside the window is Inoue. I jump to my feet.

"Is everything okay, Kurosaki?" Sensei looks at where I was staring.

"I'm good. Actually, I gotta go to the bathroom." I sprint out the room, stealthily grabbing my bag before I head out.

I run down the hall, and I stop and open a window. I stick out my head, glancing left and right, trying to spot Inoue.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She hollers as her hand cuts through the air above her.

"Stay there!" I call back. She nods.

I make sure no one is around, and when I think the coast is clear, I jump out. My spiritual pressure usually acts as a cushion for my landings, so I would barely feel the ache that comes from a jump so high. This time, though, Inoue's Santen Kesshun shines under me. It lowers me to the ground and breaks away.

"That was dangerous, Kurosaki-kun." I want to disagree, but by her tone and her action, I could tell that she is just worried about me.

"Sorry. But what about you? You could have fallen!" I have the urge to scold her in the way that Tatsuki usually does when Inoue acts recklessly. I smother the urge by resting my hand behind my neck.

She giggles.

"What's so funny?"

"I actually did fall. It's actually harder to climb up a rain gutter than it is to shimmy down one."

"Inoue!"

"It's okay! I just fell on my butt. It's just a little sore." She moves a hand to rub her backside. My neck moves so quickly I hear a crack. "Kurosaki-kun? Are you okay?" I turn my head back to look at her. "You were sighing a lot in class, and your scowl looked more troubled than usual."

"You saw that? I'm really fine, Inoue."

She lets out a deep breath. "Good! You look the best when you scowl!" She laughs. What did she mean by that? "And when you smile," she adds almost inaudibly. She shakes her head like she is trying to clear it. "Can you wait here for a second, Kurosaki-kun?" She darts away and reappears with a bag in her hand. She stops in front of me, inhales, and bows. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Inoue…"

"Yesterday, I was very rude. I showed up early in excitement, I selfishly used your food to make onigiri, I answered the door without permission due to my eagerness, and I inexcusably didn't stay to clean. I'm sorry! Please accept these bread as a token of my sincerity and apology." She holds out the bag.

"Inoue…" I try again a little louder.

"Even if you don't accept my apology, please take the bread and share them with your family. It was very nice of them to welcome me into their home."

"Inoue. Stop." She does. She stares up at me and waits. "I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"No. I must've been cranky from lack of sleep. I didn't mean to snap." I rub my neck, strangely self-conscious as I admit, "I really thought you were mad at me." Her hair whips in the wind as she shakes her head. I snort out a chuckle. "So we agree? We are not mad at each other, right?"

"Hai!" She smiles, and I feel my lips follow suit. "But you can still take the bread! Owner-san gave me a lot today!" I do as she says. "And they are the fresh, popular ones, Kurosaki-kun. He was really happy about me coming back to work."

"I feel a little special," I tease her while I scratch my cheek with my finger.

"You are special." What's that supposed to mean?! "Oh, I gotta go! I promised that I would go back to the bakery as soon as school ended." She begins to leave.

"Wait, Inoue." She looks behind her shoulder at me. "I'll walk you."

She doesn't protest like I thought she would. She just lets me catch up to her. so we could walk together.


	6. Resound

A/N: Gah! School starts tomorrow for me! So to negate the anxiousness of going to school, I wrote this. It's very short, I know, but I had to end this chapter like I ended it. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing! (I'll try to have another chapter finished by tonight!)

When we walk, I look into the bag of baked goods. There are a lot. Enough for me to voice it. "You must be the best worker that bakery has. He gave you a ton." I reach in to grab one. I pull out a chocolate Dorayaki, and I carefully tear it apart, offering the other half to Inoue. She thanks me softly. "And he gave you the expensive kind, too." I take a bite, savoring the chocolate filling for a second before swallowing. I glance over to Inoue, expecting to see the treat still in her hand. It's not. It looks like she inhaled it. A bubble of laughter catches in my throat.

"I'm not the best, but I do try my hardest."

"Are you being modest?" She had to be. It's difficult to believe that the owner would treat her so well if she weren't the best employee he had.

She hums a no.

I finish the Dorayki in my hand, and I randomly pick another from the bag. I'd been so preoccupied and troubled that I didn't really eat anything for breakfast or lunch. I am starving.

I reveal a chocolate filled Taiyaki. Again, I hand Inoue a piece which she accepts with a smile. She finishes it in the time it takes for me to blink. This time I can't hold in my laugh.

She looks at me with her curious, brownish eyes. Instead of giving her a response, I hold out the bag for her, silently asking her to eat some more.

I see her bottom lip jut out, and then retract back so her teeth can dig in. She releases her lip as her mouth starts moving in different formations like she is talking.

"…your family. I could eat them all if I don't restrain myself." Eat my family? That didn't make sense. Then I flush, realizing that I got too distracted with how she said something rather than listening to what she said. "Are you feeling alright, Kurosaki-kun?"

"uhhh, yeah. Hey, it seems like he put in a lot of things with chocolate."

"Oh, about that…" She scratches her head. "Owner-san asked me what flavor I preferred and—"

"Isn't red bean paste your favorite?"

"But chocolate is yours, and since they were for you…"

I nod in understanding. She got them specifically for me. She really thought about how I felt and what I like. Again, she's made me feel special.

I wonder…does she make other people feel this way?

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun! Your scowl is just like earlier. Is something bothering you?" She gives me her full attention, waiting for me to answer. She's seems completely absorbed that she doesn't see she's about to walk into a street post.

I pull her in close. Just so she wouldn't hurt herself, I reason, but she stumbles on her feet, and her body presses flush against mine. She's not heavy, but the surprise of the abrupt closeness knocks me over to the ground. I lie flat on my back, and since I hadn't let Inoue go, she is on top of me. Her body molds into mine, and I can feel every action she makes, no matter how small.

She breathes. I blush. She squirms. I blush even harder. She hovers over me, her face above mine while she apologizes, and I—I.

"Youngsters these days! No sense of shame!"

"I think it's sweet. They love each other so much that they couldn't keep each other's hands to themselves."

The last comment springs Inoue into action as she stands. I look at the elderly women who had witnessed our fall. One of them looks back.

"Don't mind us, boy. Passion is for the young, so be young," she advises. My mouth flops open in an attempt to say something, but I can't. My body is not responding. "Scared him stiff, did we?" She shakes her head. "You better hurry up, boy. She's getting away."

My head snaps up, and I see Inoue's back as she runs. I hoist myself up on my feet and begin chasing after her. And as I size up the distance between Inoue and I, I hear that old woman's word resounding in my head.

 _You better hurry up, boy._

I run faster, taking larger strides. I barely say sorry to the people I bump into as I pass them.

Up ahead, I feel Inoue's reiatsu fluctuate as well as someone else's.

I see flashes of light pierce the hollows that I had not sensed earlier. The small group disappear one by one, and the light vanishes, returning the day back to normal.

I finally catch up to her, but she's not alone. He stands next to her. I watch as she smiles up at him. He pushes up his glasses and smiles back.

 _She's getting away._


	7. Ignorance is Bliss

So many reviews! I'm so happy! I'm glad you all like it! I wrote a longer chapter to show my appreciation (that word reminds me of Bleach's ending 2). Also, I know Ichigo lost his powers for a year and five months, but for time, I shortened it to a year and a half. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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"Are you two alright?" I step closer to them. Inoue looks back with a blush firmly set in her cheeks. Is that caused by me or…him?

Why do I even care?

"We're fine, Kurosaki-kun. Ishida-kun took care of most of them." He turns around now and gives me a nod of hello. I return the gesture a little too tersely, and I grip the handle of my bag a little too tightly. She sees it. "It's just for a month, Kurosaki-kun."

Kyōraku-san placed a Gentei Reīn on me and ordered me to remain in my human form for a month as a precautionary measure. He is worried about the damage I could cause to the world if I didn't have restrictions. Urahara-san is working on a permanent solution so I won't affect anything when I transform.

He's right to place seals on me. The power I acquired is too much for this world. I know that I should listen to their orders, but at the moment, I couldn't be bothered to care because…

Because I never liked the idea of Inoue fighting. She doesn't have the heart for it, and her powers reflect it. Sure, she could fight, but she is fitted to protect, heal, and defend. I couldn't do what she did, and I really didn't want her to do what I did. I believed, I let myself believe, that I would finally be able to protect the people precious to me. Now, I couldn't even defeat measly hollows.

The feelings of being useless and helpless from that year and half hit me full force.

"Is there something going on between the two of you?" Ishida's question brings forth blushes on Inoue's and my face. Mine comes from the fall she and I shared. Hers…I don't know.

"What makes you say that?" His eyes move from her to me.

"Well, you both skipped the last period, and you left in such a hurry that you didn't even change shoes." He points at them. Shit!

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun! It's my fault."

"It's not. I just forgot." I shrug my shoulders.

"It must have been important if you forgot," Ishida presses on.

"Speaking of forgetting, I have to get to work. I'm going to be late!"

"Do you want-" Ishida starts.

"Come on, Inoue. If we hurry, we can still make it with time to spare," I cut him off. Ishida looks taken aback, but I don't dwell on it for long. I begin to walk, not giving her a chance to say no. She bids goodbye to our friend, and she matches my steps, which are faster than normal.

I glance over at her, searching for any wounds. She doesn't have any scratches on her face. I look lower. Her uniform is intact. Although, the white fabric around her chest is stained with dirt, but I don't comment on it for a couple of reasons. Her stockings are a little dirty too. It must have been the fall.

"Can I see your hand, Inoue?" I hold out mine, waiting for her to give me hers.

She stops. "My hand?" She looks faintish.

I reach out and grab her wrist, pulling it closer to my face. I turn her palm face up, and I see scratches there. Just like I thought, she scrapped her palms on the cement when we fell. I bring up her other hand, and it bears the same scratches. They don't look too bad, but the slight bleeding might interfere with her work. "You should heal your hands before working."

Satisfied that she really is unharmed, I peek at her face. "You running a fever, Inoue?" She hasn't stopped blushing for the last couple of minutes. She mumbles something. I lean in, tilting my head slightly, trying to hear her. "What was that?"

"Too..too," she whispers.

My eyebrow raises in confusion. "To what?"

"Inoue-san! You made it!" An old man yells across the street.

She smiles weakly at him, and then turns her redden face towards me. "Th-thank you for walking me, Kurosaki-kun."

"No problem. Are you sure you're not sick?" I ask with worry. She didn't look well. In fact, her knees were shaking.

"Yeah…but my hands…" I look at them, and I realize I haven't released them from my grip. I let them go abruptly as if she burned me with them.

"Inoue-san!" The man yells again.

"I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun." She heads to the bakery with seemingly unstable legs. I force myself to not help her. I think I already embarrassed myself and her enough for a day.

She gives the owner, I'm assuming, a hug, and they both head inside. I turn to leave, but something catches my eyes. The bakery starts to fill up. A line of males starts to form.

"What the?" I cross the road, inching closer to Inoue's work.

"Dude, get in line!"

"No cutting!"

"We've waited weeks for this!"

"Weeks? Is there some kind of special promotion going on?" I ask a guy.

He smirks at his friends as if they are sharing some inside joke. One of his friends leans on him. "Something like that." What were they talking about? Inoue didn't mention anything about a sale.

Another guy laughs. "You don't know?" I shake my head. "That hot chick is back!"

"Hot? She's a freaking model!"

"More like goddess!"

"What I'd do to just—"

"Look! There she is!"

She comes out, holding out a tray, handing out samples. She smiles at everyone as she walks down the line. Her dress blows in the wind when she moves, and with her free hand, she keeps her hat-thingy in place.

"Buy lots, okay?" She instructs as she passes the front.

"Okay!" The guys cheer at her.

"She's gotten even prettier!" I hear to my right.

"Yeah. And look at her chest…"

"Hey!" I bite out in anger. "Don't talk about her that way!"

"What's his problem?"

My fingers flex, itching to punch the guy in the face. But it isn't just him that keeps checking her out like she is piece of meat. All of them are looking at her.

"Kurosaki-kun! You're still here?" She skips toward me. "It's packed, isn't it? Oh! Here! Try one." I mindlessly take the sample and eat it. "It's good, right? It's Kansuke-kun's new creation. Look at how many people showed up to try it!"

"No, Inoue. They are not…" I couldn't finish. I couldn't tell her the truth when the excitement in her eyes made her sparkle.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Inoue-san, we need you at the register!"

"Hai!" She calls back. "Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun." She knows that I'm worried. "I'll save you some!" She runs back into the bakery.

All of the sudden, I feel eyes glaring holes into my back and front. They must think that Inoue and I are together, and I should correct them, but maybe if they thought that she is taken, they wouldn't come and stare at her.

It works for a second until they start dismissing me and ignoring that I exist altogether.

How have I not noticed how many admirers she has? Had I been so absorbed in fighting that I missed it? In that year and a half, was I really so focused on my own self-pity that I didn't see how attractive Inoue became? I mean, she's always been pretty. Chizuru and Kon were very vocal about Inoue's appearance. Hirako and Keigo didn't hide their crushes. There are so many others who saw her in that way.

The boys in my school seemed to worship Inoue. These guys were willing to wait in line just to see her.

And Inoue…she doesn't know! If I'm dense, what did that say about her? Is she completely unaware of the effects she had on them?

I go home, irritated, at nothing and everything. But every time I look at my hand which holds the bag of baked treats that she gotten for me, my annoyance decreases. And then when I look at my other hand which had held hers, a new feeling takes over. A feeling that I don't quite have a name for.

All I know for sure, though, is that it would better if Inoue would just keep being ignorant.


	8. A Phone Call

A/N: A plethora of reviews! You guys are spoiling me! I'm so stoked to see that this story is getting more and more positive responses! This chapter does have a slight jump in time, but it is only because if I wrote what happened each day, I would never get to the meat of the story, which I am eager and anxious to write! Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing.

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The following morning at school, Inoue delivers the desserts she promised to save for me. I only accept them under the condition that she lets me walk her to the bakery. She agrees after I assure her that it won't be a problem. I'll find some excuse later so I can escort her home. Now that I am fully aware of the perverts Inoue attracts, she needs to be protected. I swore that I would protect her, and this threat is no different.

So for the rest of the week, I accompany Inoue to her work and to her apartment. I assume that my presence would scare off some men, but the opposite occurs. They find me to be non-threatening, and they often challenge my patience when they begin to compliment Inoue while I'm still there. The only thing that can calm me down is that she doesn't return their affection, and it might be my imagination, but the smile she gives her pursuers seems forced. It's nothing like the smile she gives me when I make myself leave her work nor is it like the smile when I show up at the end of her shift. In fact, each time I enter the bakery to wait for her, her face lights up just a little bit brighter than the day before. And even if it is my imagination, it allows me from becoming violent with all the dogs that keep hanging around her.

I dropped Inoue an hour or so ago, and now I'm eating with my sisters. Dad's missing, but I'm guessing that he is busy with a patient.

It's quiet until Yuzu breaks the silence.

"Why do you look down, Onii-chan?"

"You're seeing things, Yuzu."

She starts to eat her dinner with a pout.

Do I look down? I was happy before I went home. Then again, Inoue had been telling me about how earlier that day, Chad had fallen asleep in class. Apparently, he started to snore, and she tried to wake him up before their sensei noticed. It had gotten to the point that she summoned Tsubaki to secretly wake Chad. Instead, the fighting spirit turned on Inoue for calling him out for nothing. He pulled her hair, and she had ended up voicing her pain out loud, which woke Chad. She had finished her story while she rubbed her head as if she remembered how much it hurt.

Her stories never failed to entertain me and put me in a good mood.

Then why did I seem down?

"Is Orihime working tomorrow?" Karin asks.

Ah. That must be it. Inoue is not working and that meant I wouldn't be able to walk with her. Inoue told me before we parted that she would see me at school. When she told me goodnight, I realized how I looked forward to walking together after school and after her work. I enjoyed the extra time I got to spend with her. I liked being around her, talking to her, and hearing her.

And now I have no reason to see her.

I shake my head in response to Karin's question and to rid myself of this funk I feel.

"Good," she replies. Is she mocking me? "I have a game tomorrow. Can you invite her?" My head snaps up in surprise. "What? Last time she was here, she said she would like to come to one of my games."

My lips twitch upwards, and I move my hand to cover them. I almost smiled.

"Sure. But don't get your hopes up," I warn her. I quietly tell myself that I should listen to my own advice. "What time does it start?"

"Some time around ten. You can tell her to meet us here, though. We can walk over to Mashiba together."

I nod. "Alright. Let me go call her right now." I excuse myself from the table. I head up to my room, climbing the stairs like I always do, in the same way I usually do. So it catches me off guard when I hear Yuzu ask Karin if I suddenly seem to be in a better mood. Karin's reply, though, literally makes stumble on a step.

"Our brother has finally reached puberty. I'm sort of proud."

Why would she say that?! More importantly, what did she mean by that?! I already hit puberty if it weren't obvious by my growth spurt and deepened voice. How does my improved mood relate to puberty?

I don't focus on it for long. All it would do is give me a headache, so I grab my phone, opening my contact list and look for Inoue's number. When I land on her name, my finger hovers over the call button. Why do I feel nervous?

"Oh, ho, ho! You're looking at your phone quite intensely. Are you watching something perverted, Kurosaki-san?"

I jump, startled at Urahara's unexpected appearance. My phone flies behind me, landing on my bed. Urahara leans from his spot on the window to grab my phone.

"Inoue's number?" He opens his fan and hides his mouth. "Perverted, indeed."

"What the hell does that mean? And give me my phone back," I demand, embarrassed. He tosses it to me. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Always so angry." He shakes his head in a condensing manner. "I've come with gifts!"

My eyes widen. "I can become a Shinigami again?"

His fan snaps shut. "Not quite. You still are under the provisional period. However, I think I found a way in which I can dilute your spiritual pressure in preparation for when you do have access to your powers." He throws me a package. "It's pills. You take them twice a day. They do a few things simultaneously: the first—"

I cut him off. "I don't need to know what they do. If it will let me use my powers quicker, I'll take them. I don't need an explanation." I open the package and fish out a pill. I swallow it immediately.

"The effects should happen soon. One of them should be a lowering in your spiritual pressure. You probably don't realize it, but your human form is releasing spiritual pressure higher than before. And when your emotions become unstable, your spiritual pressure reaches levels that become dangerous, and this is happening when you are human… I can't even begin to imagine what you will be like in a month." He becomes quiet. "Anyhow, just take the pills. I'm still researching on different and more effective solutions."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," I tell him sincerely.

"Don't thank me just yet, Kurosaki-san. There is still a chance in which you may be unable to use your abilities in the human world. If I can't find a method to suppress your enormous strength, you will only be able to use your sword in Soul Society."

"Well, I'm not going to worry about it. I trust you."

He looks at me, and his expression is almost akin to…pity.

"I will do my best, Kurosaki-san. You belong in this world," he says. An ominous feeling comes off his words, but before I can think, he disappears from my window.

I rub my head in confusion. Of course I belong here. This is my home…then why did his last words seem so foreboding?

"Did you call her yet?" Karin leans on my doorframe.

"Not yet."

"Do you want me to do it?" She steps into my room and reaches for the phone in my hand. I pull my arm back, holding the phone away from her.

"I'm good. I just got distracted," I defend myself. She rolls her eyes, smirks, and leaves my room.

I look at the small device in my hand. Her name stands out.

I take a deep breath and dial her number.

It rings and rings and rings.

"Hello?" She breathes into the phone.

I gulp. It's almost like Inoue just whispered right into my ear.

"Uhh, it's me. Ichigo."

I hear her breathing stop and pick up. "Kurosaki-kun! I'm sorry it took me so long to answer! I was in the bathtub, and I barely got to the phone in time."

An image of Inoue starts to form in my head as she explains. I shake my head hard, but all it does is scramble my thoughts even more.

"I didn't even have time to put clothes on," she continues. I snap the phone away from my ear.

My room becomes an inferno in that second. My face flushes as my brain paints me a picture of her. It can only give me an image of Inoue with wet hair and bare shoulders before I smack myself.

I press the phone back against my ear. "Call me back when you get dressed." I don't wait for her to answer. I hang up.

I know it's rude, but I couldn't help it. To think that I was talking to a na-na-naked Inoue…It made me embarrassed! Like I was somehow peeping on her or something.

I fall onto my bed. I bury my face into my pillow, trying to escape this unbearable heat that surrounds me.

Is the air conditioner off or something?!

She is quick to call me back. I sit up against my wall and answer.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

"Sorry about hanging up, Inoue. I…" I fumble to tell her a reason for it. "I didn't want you to catch a cold." My excuse makes me hit my head against the wall.

"How considerate! Thanks!" She accepts the lie with such ease that I feel bad. She's so trusting that sometimes it hurt. "Is there something you needed, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Oh, about that…are you busy tomorrow?"

"No, I'm not!" She shouts in the phone without thought. I laugh. "I, uh, I mean, I don't think so…why?

"Karin has a match. She wanted me to invite you to come watch."

"She did? I would love to come!" I can hear the excitement in her voice, but I can hear something else, too. What is it?

"She'll be happy to hear it." I only admit it to myself that I'm happy as well. "We'll meet here around nine. Is that okay?"

"Sure! I can't wait!" I smile. But then I hear her sniffle. Did she really catch a cold so quickly?

"Are you alright, Inoue?"

She hesitates before she finally speaks in a muted voice, "Tatsuki-chan…" She pauses. "I'm so proud of her! She got a full-ride to the University of Tsukuba!" Although she sounds animated, her voice cracks.

"Hey…" I was never good with words or tears.

"She's going to do a lot of great things! She's going to kick a lot of butt, too!" She chokes out a watery laugh. I clench at the phone, feeling helpless. "I'm happy for her! I really am! So happy!" She sniffles. "I'm just going to miss her."

"It's not too far away," I try to comfort her.

"She said that too. You two must be twins!" The sadness in her voice thickens. "It's not too far away," she repeats. She sighs. "Things are changing, aren't they?" I almost miss her words from how quietly she said them. "Well, I better get to sleep! I don't want to be late! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She hangs up.

Before I know it, I call Tatsuki. She picks up after the second ring.

"Hey, I heard you got a full-ride. Congrats."

"How did you fi— You talked to Orihime?" She sounds like she is in disbelief.

"Yeah. She just told me over the phone."

"I can't believe it!" She starts to laugh obnoxiously. "Wait, how did she sound?" All traces of humor are gone.

I don't know how to answer her. I struggle with putting the words together.

"She's sad, isn't she?"

"She's happy for you," I counter, defensive on Inoue's behalf.

"When I left her apartment tonight, she told me the same thing. It would have been more believable if she weren't bawling her eyes out."

"She is though. Happy for you, that is."

"I know." She breathes out harshly. "I should have spent the night. I just told her and left."

"She'll be fine." I hear beeping on her end. "Do you have another call?"

"Speak of the devil! It's Orihime. She must have been sneezing. I got to go." She doesn't end the call yet. "You know the hardest part about all of this? It's leaving her alone." The call cuts off.

I don't even get the chance to tell Tatsuki that Inoue wouldn't be.


	9. This Lifetime

A/N: Hello, everyone! I took a short break from writing due to school stuff, but I'm back with a longer chapter. Thank you all for your kind words! Keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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I tossed and turned all night long with one word repeating in my mind like a mantra: Inoue. Knowing that she had been crying and possibly could still be crying kept me up. More than that, what really kept me from sleeping was that I had to wrestle with a strong desire to go over to apartment. I had to physically stop myself from going to her.

It was a strange feeling. A part of me felt like Inoue was in danger, and even though I knew that she wasn't, I felt the need to protect her. Protect her from what? I had no idea, which added to why I couldn't sleep.

And even now, when I am at the kitchen table eating breakfast, waiting for her, I can't seem to shake this feeling of needing to see her and protect. I need to see that she's safe.

I'm restless.

"Why does your leg keep bouncing up and down? Are you anxious or something?" Karin asks as she stretches.

Am I? Is that why I couldn't sleep?

"Why would I be?"

She rolls her eyes and laughs. "Whatever."

Dad comes into the room. He looks tired, but he still manages to annoy Karin into kicking him. He collapses into a chair, rubbing his shin. "If you kick that soccer ball anything like you kick me, the other team doesn't have a chance! I almost feel sorry for your opponents." Karin scoffs while Yuzu laughs and brings Dad some food. He thanks her.

"Didn't get any sleep, old man?"

"Had lots of paper work to do. Which reminds me. I'm going to need you to run some errands today while we are at Karin's game."

"Wait," I begin. He looks up from his plate. "I can't. I'm going to the game, too."

"You are? Why? You haven't gone to a ga-" He stops short as we hear knocking.

"I'll get it!" Yuzu yells as she skips off to the front door. She brings in Inoue who gives us a huge smile as she greets us. I can only meet her eyes for a second before I look away. Why? Because her eyes are red, and it hurts to look into them. Something in me hurts.

"Thank you for inviting me to join you all today!"

"Oh?" I can hear my dad's voice change slightly. "You'll be joining us at the game?" She nods. He gives me a look and slaps me on the back. "I see! So that's why…" he trails off with a smirk. "The more, the merrier! Karin could always use some more cheerleaders!"

She blushes and clasps at her jacket. "I'm glad you said that because I…" She opens her jacket, revealing a t-shirt which had her handwriting. "I kind of went overboard and made some posters and shirts." She blushes and scratches her head.

"How cute!" Yuzu screeches as she inspects the shirt more closely. It gives me the chance to read the words printed across the fabric: **Karin-chan's number 1 fan**! Around the words are little designs of soccer balls and other things like…robots? "Wait, you said you made 'shirts!'" Yuzu jumps down in excitement. Inoue bobs her head up and down, probably just as excited as my sister. She pulls out a t-shirt from the bag she is carrying. She holds it out for Yuzu. "Look! It says, ' **No! I'm Karin-chan's number 1 fan!'** " She squeals as she puts the t-shirt on over the one she is already wearing. "I love it! What do you think, Karin?"

I glance over to my other little sister, suspecting that she would be frowning. She really didn't like to be in the spotlight, and she really didn't like things like these, but instead of a grimace, she has a hint of a blush, and she is holding back a smile.

"It's not too embarrassing, is it? I wouldn't want to be a bother to you," Inoue worriedly asks.

"It's fine." Karin says quietly. Inoue grins, and I can almost see the concentration Inoue uses to not hug Karin.

"Did you make one for me too?"

"Of course, Kurosaki-san!" She hands a shirt to him. She looks at me and walks over to me. "I also made one for you, too." I take the shirt from her hand. I silently chuckle at what I read. **Wait! You're Karin-chan's number 1 fan? Then who am i?**

I set the t-shirt down on the table for a second, and I see a flicker of something cross Inoue's face. I shake my head, telling myself I've imagined it. I take off the shirt I have on and put on the shirt Inoue gave me. It fits just right.

"Thanks, Inoue."

"Y-you're w-welcome." She stutters. Why does she look embarrassed all of a sudden?

"We should probably get going if we want to make it there on time! Let's go!" Yuzu pulls Inoue and Karin with her.

"Come on, Ichigo. You can do what I've asked of you later." I follow my dad out, grateful that he is being lenient today.

All three girls are ahead of us. Inoue is in the middle while Karin and Yuzu flank her sides. They all look to be having fun. Inoue shifts her head, and I can see her smile, and it's so bright that without my permission, my hand moves to block my eyes.

"It's shining brightly today, isn't it?"

I trip a little. "What are you talking about?"

"The sun…why? What did you think I was talking about?" His voice sounds like he is teasing me. I shake my head at him, refusing to answer. "Is she feeling okay?"

I'm surprised he noticed. Is it that obvious? "Tatsuki is moving out of town to go to college, and Inoue's going to miss her."

He nods his head in understanding. "They are best friends, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

"One could even argue that Tatsuki is the only family that girl has, couldn't you?" I flinch at his words because it made what Tatsuki said sort of true. Inoue would be alone when Tatsuki left.

I just nod.

"And what about her? Did you ask her what she plans to do after she graduates?"

"No." For some reason, my voice is a little hoarse.

"Afraid of what she might say?"

I stare at Inoue now. She's making gestures with one arm, and something she is saying is causing both Yuzu and Karin to laugh. She looks happy now, but what about later? Would she go home and cry?

That upset me. I didn't want to her be sad. I want her to have an endless amount of happy days, and I know of one sure way that would keep her smile in place. All she would have to do is go with Tatsuki. Inoue had the grades to go to any school she preferred. She could easily be accepted to any college, and then, she wouldn't need to cry because she would be with Tatsuki. She wouldn't be alone.

"Afraid?" I repeat the word. It sounded foreign to me. I've been afraid before. It would be stupid not to be when I faced villains whose powers sought to destroy everything I've cared about. I knew fear. I know it now. But am I afraid at this moment? Afraid of her answer? "Yeah, I guess I am." It takes me a second to realize that I admitted it out loud.

The admission is another huge factor that prevented me from sleeping. Inoue could leave this town and never come back. Tatsuki…she has family here. She has siblings, her parents, and other relatives. It would only be natural for her to visit every once and a while. But it's different with Inoue. She didn't have any family. Dad's right. Tatsuki is the closest person to her, and if she went with her, why would she ever come back to this town? She wouldn't. If she left this place, she wouldn't ever come back. This town held nothing for her.

If she left, I would never see her again…

I feel short of breath, and I rub my chest at the weird pain there.

My dad lays his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. It feels like it is meant to be comforting as if he can hear my inner conflict. As if he understands. Why can he understand something about how I feel when I can't even do that?

"What about you? Have you thought about your future?" He faces forward when he directs his question at me. I follow his line of sight, and my eyes land back on Inoue's back.

My future? I convinced myself, probably foolishly, that my future would look something like the present with a few minor changes. I thought that no matter what each of us chose to do, what path we decided to follow, we would all be together, but Tatsuki's choice has me realizing that it's only a pipe-dream.

My future? Would I have to picture a future without Inoue in it? The thought of it forces me to confess that I might've taken Inoue's presence for granted. Her hellos, her smiles, her laughter, all of it. I was used to her. I always thought that her being next to me would be guaranteed.

The thought of my future without her stops me in my tracks.

"Well, you better start thinking about it now. Graduation is almost here." He ruffles my hair just like he used to do when I was boy. I'm thrown back by his gesture and his expression, but he doesn't stay by my side long enough for me to comment on it. He starts running forward. He picks Yuzu up by her waist, and he carefully maneuvers over to Karin. He grabs her by the waist too, and he sprints off, yelling something about familial love. Despite Karin's struggle and Yuzu's protest, he doesn't stop running.

Inoue stands still, laughing, which gives the me the chance to catch up to her. Once I am by her side, we start walking again.

I finally feel like I can breathe again.

She turns her face up, so I can see her.

"Your eyes…" I reach out, pointing at her reddened, tired eyes.

"It's not what you think, Kurosaki-kun. I stayed up pretty late making the shirts, posters, and snacks. I really did get excited all by myself." I say nothing. "You don't know this, but I…I always wanted younger siblings. I dreamed of going to cheer them at their event or protecting them from bullies or teasing them about their crushes or offering them advice." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "And I know it's not the same. They aren't my siblings, but for today…I can pretend, can't I?"

"You know that I'm not so perceptive, and I'm not very good with words, but for what's it worth, I think they love your company."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't they?"

She blushes. "I'm glad." And she looks it, but it's not enough. It doesn't change the fact that her eyes are red nor does it change that she will continue to be sad about Tatsuki's departure.

I clench my fists and brace myself for what I am going to say. "You could go with Tatsuki."

"Huh?" She appears confused. I changed the conversation too quickly.

"You could go to college with Tatsuki," I clarify. "That way you wouldn't miss her."

She's surprised. In a way, so am I. I managed to get the words out through my gritted teeth.

"I couldn't. This is something she should experience on her own. I wouldn't want to follow her just because I will be lonely."

I shouldn't feel this much relief. Not yet, anyways. I still had one more question for her that I'm afraid to ask and have it answered. "Will you be leaving Karakura Town?"

I can count the seconds very easily. My heartbeat punctuates them heavily in my ears. I think that if she were to respond, I wouldn't be able to hear her, but when she finally does speak up, her voice washes over me crystal clear.

"No. My heart is here." Her smile looks like she hiding a secret behind it. "If my heart remains here, then so shall I."

I don't know what she's talking about. Her heart? Is she being literal or figurative? What did she mean? It doesn't matter because she left out an important part. "And if your heart leaves? What then?"

She frowns. "If my heart leaves this town…" She gazes up at my face, and I stare into her eyes, trying to hear what she is saying and trying to find out what she is not saying. She smiles. "Will I ever leave Karakura Town? Not in this lifetime."

Is it reasonable to be so happy by her words?

"What about you, Kurosaki-kun? What are your plans?"

"I…"

"Come on, you slowpokes! It's about to start!"

Inoue takes off, her hair flowing behind her. She looks over her shoulder while she goads me into racing her. It's playful. Just like she is, and it's not like me to compete in childish antics, but if it meant keeping that smile on her face, I would do just about anything.

So I race her. I catch up to her side, and she starts pushing herself faster while she throws back her head and laughs. I have to look away from her. She's too bright, and I'm suddenly too warm.

I pass her. She passes me. And while I run after her and she runs after me, I think about her question.

My plans? I have none. But as she pouts at me, claiming that I let her win, my future seems so unexplainably full of light.


	10. The Lies I Tell Myself

**IMPORTANT A/N:** Hello! It took a while to update, right? Well, this chapter is long, so I hope you forgive me! I've been thinking and pfcvillanueva recently brought up that it would be interesting if I included Orihime's perspective. Would you all want that? It would be a separate story called "Goodbye Lonely Days," and it would be about how she views the world. The story would include some of the events that are in this story but with her perspective and her own adventures aside from Ichigo's. If this is not making any sense, read this chapter first. It'll make sense why someone would want to read Orihime's thoughts. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing! Leave me your opinion about creating the story or not.

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I tell myself that the only reason that I am looking at her is because she's in my line of vision. She's in front of me, cheering with Yuzu and dad, holding up her custom made posters. I tell myself that I'm watching the game only.

When Yuzu begs me to do a wave with them after Karin scores a goal, I tell myself that I'm reluctant to do it. I tell myself that it means nothing when I have to hold Inoue's hand because Yuzu is holding her other. I tell myself that it's the sun causing me to sweat and to get a little warm. I tell myself I'm embarrassed to be doing it.

When the wave thing is over and I have to let go of her hand, I tell myself that it's for the better.

…I've been telling myself a lot of things recently…

Inoue is the happiest I've ever seen her. She and Yuzu are having a great time making up chants for Karin and talking in between, and when it's halftime, she spends the time dotting over Karin. She tries to feed Karin some of the snacks she prepared, which, to my surprise, are normal. Karin accepts what Inoue's offers with a small smile. I guess she's not used to being treated in that kind of way.

"Who is she? I've never seen her before," one of Karin's team member asks.

"Yeah. I thought you didn't have a sister," another says, looking at Inoue.

Inoue blushes. "I'm not…"

"She's not my sister." At this, Inoue loses the color in her cheeks, but her face turns read, and my jaw drops when Karin states, "She's my sister-in-law." She sounds so serious that the other girls nod in understanding, not for a second doubting that she could be lying.

"No, I'm not—"

"She's not—"

Inoue and I both try to deny it, but we end up talking over each other, not making any sense at all. We look at one another and quickly look away. I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to hide my face, and I can see from the corner of my eye that she does the same with both of her hands.

"That's mean, Karin!" Yuzu scolds. "Orihime-chan is Onii-chan's friend, not his wife."

Karin clicks her tongue and opens her mouth to respond at the same time Inoue's phone starts to ring. Inoue jumps, startled at the sound, and she fumbles trying to answer the call. She pardons herself and stands. She puts a little distance between us who remain seated on the blanket Yuzu brought from home.

"Right now?" She glances over at us. "Could it possibly wait?" She listens. "I understand. I'll be over there as soon as possible." She hangs up and sighs. I turn my head away as I listen to her approach us. "I'm sorry Karin-chan, but I'm going to have to miss the second half of your game. But I promise that I will see the next one all the way through!" Karin nods. "Thank you Yuzu-chan for indulging me with everything today. Oh, where is Kurosaki-san?" She looks for dad who is strangely missing. She gives up on trying to find him and turns toward me. "And thank you Kurosaki-kun for listening to my dream, and even though it was only for a little while, I had the best time living it." She smiles and bows. "Well, I better get going!" She starts to head off.

I scramble to my feet and go after her, but not before I hear one of the Karin's team mate question, "Are you sure that they are just friends?"

I shake my head at that. Of course Inoue and I aren't 'just friends.' We are more than that. We are…She's my…Huh?

My mind starts racing.

What is she to me? Tatsuki is my childhood friend. Mizuiro and Keigo are my close friends. Chad, Ishida, and Renji are my precious, best friends. Rukia is an important friend who changed my life forever. Now what is Inoue? Where does she fit?

Truth be told, she doesn't. Not perfectly. And I have no idea what that means.

For now, I push it out of my mind.

"Oi, Inoue! Where are you going?"

"Kurosaki-kun?" I wait for her answer. "I'm heading to the bakery."

"I thought you said that you didn't have work today."

"I don't, but someone called in sick, so…"

"I see…well, let me walk you."

"But you'll miss Karin's game."

"It's fine," I wave her worries off. "I'll go to the next one." She looks like she is debating on whether she should push me to stay or not. "You know…it would save us a lot of time if we come to a permanent agreement."

"Agreement?"

I shove my hands into my pants' pocket and walk forward. She trails after me. "Yeah, an agreement. If I offer to walk you, you should just say yes."

"But…"

"Nuh-uh. Remember our agreement."

She laughs. "I don't remember agreeing, Kurosaki-kun."

"I don't remember you _not_ agreeing to it, Inoue." She laughs again.

"I guess you win," she concedes. "For today."

My eyebrow arches. "You plan to fight me on this?" She nods. "I won't fight fair," I warn her.

"Neither will I," she declares. We both chuckle at that.

We continue on in silence for a bit. She looks lost in thought, and I'm trying my hardest not to think of the puzzling question I asked myself earlier.

"Can I ask you something, Kurosaki-kun?"

I glance at her. She's picking at her jacket's zipper. "Sure. What's up?"

"I've been thinking about this for a while." She pauses. "Why have you taken up walking me?"

My head turns away from her as my brain registers her question. "I…well…It's," I struggle for an explanation. I exhale. "Words, huh?"

"They _are_ difficult to use," she agrees with a hint of something in her voice. I peek at her, and she looks like she is holding back laughter.

I should feel offended, but I don't. I just feel mightily embarrassed. "Honestly…I don't know." She thinks about my reply before she nods. "Does it bother you?" I watch her expression very carefully. If she showed any signs of discomfort because I am walking her, I would stop. I would if that would make her happy.

"No! It doesn't! On the contrary, I-I like walking with you, but…"

"But?" I impatiently wait for her to finish her thought.

"But _someone_ might get the wrong idea if you keep walking me." Her voice drops to a whisper.

Someone…She put emphasis on that word. I'm sure of it. What does she mean by that? Who cares what others think when they see Inoue and I together. It isn't any of their damn business. I mean, the misunderstandings could be embarrassing, but in the end, it really didn't matter.

And then it hits me. I don't care, but maybe she does. She doesn't want _someone_ to get the wrong idea about us.

And it hits me again: she cares.

And it hits me again. She cares.

And again. And again.

She cares about this _someone._

All of a sudden, too abruptly, without reason, everything feels wrong.

"Who care what others think." I say that a little too aggressively, and I know that's wrong. Something is wrong with me.

"Oh." I look at her, and she seems so incredibly sad about my response. I said something wrong. How I said it was wrong. Everything is wrong.

Then she smiles, and that's wrong too. It's forced. I can tell, and I decide right then and there that I hate it. I never thought I would hate anything about Inoue, but the moment's finally here.

She changes the subject, and she acts too happy. She babbles, but it's not like the kind of babble I'm used to. It's forced, too. Everything she is doing is an act, and I can't ask why she is pretending to be happy because she's not letting me get a word in, and the way that she is doing it is making me think that she doesn't want to hear what I have to say.

We arrive at her work both too quickly and not soon enough for my liking.

"I'll see you at school on Monday, Kurosaki-kun!" Her goodbye sounds fake. She starts to leave.

I don't want things to end this way. "Inoue," I call her. She looks back at me and gives that forced smile. I clench my fists. "You should come over for dinner."

"Dinner?" That smile disappears, and her normal face comes back.

"Yeah. You know, dinner? A time in the evening when you eat…" She blushes and pouts at my attempt to lighten the mood. "We want to thank you for coming today." I can see that she is about to decline. "Yuzu and Karin would want you to come. They really enjoyed you being there at the game."

She smiles, and this time, it's genuine, and everything seems right again.

"Okay! I'll be there!" When she turns to go inside, her steps seem more lively, and I think everything is fixed. But I catch her reflection from the glass.

Why is she sad? What have I done? I spend my time trying to figure out what I said that caused that expression. I go home lost in confusion. Thinking and thinking, wondering what I could do to make her smile. I go through the motions of showering, telling my family that Inoue will be coming over, studying for class, and reading. I'm completely absorbed in thought that I don't even realize that Inoue is already at the front door until I feel her spiritual pressure. I hurry down the stairs.

"I hope you like them. I helped make the batter." I hear her before I see her. She sounds like she usually does, and it's a relief. And then I see her, and she's changed clothes. Her hairs wet, too. She probably went home to shower and put on new clothes. She looks…

"You're baking now?" I ask her, interrupting my own thoughts.

"Every once and a while, Kansuke-kun teaches me when I have free time from my other duties. He even lets me help in the baking process."

"Is he the one…?" Yuzu whispers to Inoue a little loudly. Inoue blushes and stares wide-eye at me for the tiniest second.

"NO! It's not…" she denies and then sighs.

"Wait, what's happening?" Karin asks.

"That's right. You didn't hear since you were playing. Let's go into the kitchen. We can cook and talk." Yuzu pulls Inoue and Karin, much like this morning. I try to follow them, but Yuzu gives me her version of a glare. "Boys aren't allowed. This is girl talk."

I don't move from my spot for about two breathes and then I enter the room that I am not supposed to go into. I couldn't not what with Yuzu's incomplete sentence hanging in the air. What was she trying to say? She knew something about Inoue that I didn't know.

The one what? Someone is something to Inoue. I know that much by Yuzu's words just now and Inoue's words from earlier. The real question is what that someone means to Inoue. No, maybe the real question is who that someone is.

I try to sneak my way into sitting down at the table, but they all notice my presence because they all stop talking. They look at me, and Yuzu has a frown. I think she's about to tell me to get out, when I beat her to the punch. "I'm just eating some desserts that Inoue made. Don't mind me. I'll be eating and playing a game on my phone. Continue talking." I do what I say I would, all the while keeping my ears focused on the trio. They are a little hesitant, but they go back to talking like I wanted. They try to use low voices, but my ears have been trained to pick up even the most muted sounds.

"Are you sure that he doesn't?" That's Karin speaking.

"Why wouldn't he? You are so pretty, nice, and funny. And smart!" That's Yuzu.

I steal a look at Inoue quickly. She's peeling apart some cabbage, looking down in every sense of the word. "I…I recently thought that he might, but he doesn't." She sounds close to tears.

"He must be stupid."

"He's not, Karin-chan," Inoue laughs. "He just…has another girl in his heart."

Yuzu gasps. "What? What could she possibly have that you don't?!"

It takes all my concentration to catch her words from how silently she says them. "She has him."

"What an idiot," Karin insults. And she does something surprising, she hugs Inoue, and Yuzu joins in.

"Hey, what are you two doing?! I'm the oldest. I should be listening to your problems and comforting you two," Inoue tries to brighten up the dark atmosphere. "Let's talk about something else. Karin-chan, did your team end up winning?" They all switch to a different topic while I remain on the previous one.

Karin was right. The guy, the guy that seemed to have all of Inoue's affection if that was what they were talking about, was a complete idiot. I grind my teeth while thinking about the bastard who would just throw away Inoue's feeling like that.

But deep down…no, not even deep down, right there on the surface, I'm glad. A part of me is relieved that the guy is an idiot, and I tell myself that it's only because I'm protective over her. Inoue doesn't need a guy who would look at another. Inoue deserves someone who would look only at her, who would treat her better than he would treat anyone in the world, who would love her and only her. She doesn't need a guy who had another girl in his heart.

And then I have my answer to Inoue's question. Why did I start walking her every day? It's to protect her. Protect her from all of them because if I'm being truthful to myself, none of the guys that pursued her were worthy. They all looked at Inoue but didn't _look_ at her. She's more than just her appearance, and any guy that wanted a chance with her would have to see that. See that she is too kind for this world, too caring for her own good, too bright for this dark place. If they couldn't, I would protect her.

…I'm the real bastard. I'm actually thankful that the guy Inoue likes doesn't like her back. What the hell is wrong with me?

I grab my hair and pull in disgust.

"Is something bothering you, Kurosaki-kun? Did you not like it?"

"Huh?" I look up at her. Her eyebrows are creased. "No, it's delicious." She grins, and I am left speechless. What could I say anyways? I couldn't admit that I had been listening in on their conversation nor could I reveal my disturbing thoughts.

"Really?" She makes a little sound. "I was worried that they wouldn't taste good." Satisfied, she begins to go back to the counter.

"Inoue?"

"Hmm?"

There's one thing I could say to her. "You asked why I started to walk with you." I hold her gaze. "It's to protect you."

I thought that she would be happy with my answer. I really did, and she's happy for a second until her expression changes. And I know that I'm not great at reading emotions, but I can read hers because it slaps me in the face: disappointment. She doesn't even try to cover it up, and for some reason, that hurts me more than if she had tried.

"I thought that might be it." She breaks eye contact. "Thanks, Kurosaki-kun." She returns to my sisters' side and helps with the cooking. They don't seem to notice anything wrong with Inoue, but I can tell from her slump shoulders and her wavering reiatsu.

I've screwed up. I'm screwed up. How could I have made things worse for her?!

I'm quiet all through dinner. It's best that I keep my mouth shut. Anything I seemed to say today just ended up upsetting Inoue.

Despite my silence, the table is loud. Karin and Yuzu do seem to enjoy Inoue's company. My dad seems to have taken a liking toward her as well, and I find it weird that he hasn't made a comment about how Inoue's his daughter now. He once said that about Rukia, so why not her?

We all finish eating, and she's getting ready to leave. Something in me wants her to stay. I couldn't stand that the last interaction we had would be of her being disappointed in me.

"Stay." Everyone looks at me.

"Eh?"

I ty to find an excuse that would make her stay. "You can watch that movie you wanted to see here. That scary one."

"That new one?" Yuzu asks with excitement. "I'll go make popcorn!"

"I'll get the drinks."

Inoue can't say no, so she goes to help Karin with the drinks. I make my way to sit, and I turn on the tv, finding the movie Inoue had talked about yesterday.

They eventually come into the living room, and they sit down: Inoue on the floor with Yuzu by her side, and Karin on the couch with her feet stretched out. They cover up with blankets and get ready to watch the movie. I sit on the arm chair, a little apart from them.

I pay little attention to the film. It's more entertaining to watch their reactions. Inoue seems to find the movie funny. Every so often, she chuckles at the movie's attempt to be scary, and Karin laughs with her. They share knowing looks, but then Yuzu with her innocence screams at something she sees. Inoue, surprised, screams along with her, and they all break out in laughter.

The movie ends, but I don't need to make up an excuse to keep her here longer. Yuzu changes the channel to some gag show.

Dad comes over and asks me to help him with fixing the bed sheets at the clinic, and we leave them to laugh at the comedy skits.

When we come back, they are no longer watching tv. They are sleeping. Yuzu's head is resting on Inoue's side. Karin is curled up on the couch with her legs hanging off the edge, her head next to Inoue's.

From the corner of my eye, I see dad rub his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"You okay, old man?" I make sure that my voice is low.

"Yeah…I just thought I saw," he stops. "Never mind. I just need sleep. I'm starting to see things. I'll carry Karin and Yuzu to their room. You can move Orihime-chan to the bed in the guest room." Even when he picks the two girls up, they don't wake. Well, they have always been heavy sleepers, so it's not that strange that they don't even stir.

I bend down next to Inoue. I just have to move her. Which meant that I would have to pick her up. Now I've done it before, but I know that I can't just carry her on my shoulder like that time. She would definitely wake up.

Instead, I lean her head carefully against my shoulder, and I wrap an arm around her back. My other arm slides under her legs, and I slowly lift her while I stand. I study her face, checking if the sudden movements had jostled her awake, but she remains sleeping.

I carry her up the stairs, focusing on the surroundings to make sure that I wouldn't bump her into anything. I'm so focused that I don't even realize that I pass the guest room, nor do I realize that I lay her on my bed and cover her up with my sheet. It's only when I quietly collapse into my chair that I become aware of what I just did.

I reason with myself that I can't move her because she's already comfortable, and it really does look like she is. I wouldn't want to wake her when she looked so tired. She must be tired from not getting sleep last night and from working when she had the day off.

But I know the real reason why I don't move her to the guest room. It's because of the look that she gave me. That look of disappointment. She's really only given me that expression twice. It was when she was under Tsukishima's ability. In her controlled mind, she believed that I was attacking a friend and not an enemy, and she chose to heal him. To protect him. She chose him over me.

I understood why she was disappointed in me then, but now? I don't know. I don't know what I did or didn't do or what I said or didn't say that caused that look. And I shouldn't care, but I do.

I look at her. She looks to be resting peacefully. Her face seems so relaxed, and she looks like she is almost smiling in her sleep. Wait. Is that a little bit of drool coming out of her mouth? That should gross me out, but something about it is funny to me. It's so her that I chuckle into my hand, and then it turns into a sigh.

I haven't solved anything, but the more I think about why she's disappointed, the more questions start to pop up in my head. Ones I managed to ignore since the morning. Like what Inoue means to me. I still didn't have an answer, except that she just means a lot. It's probably why I care what she thinks of me. It's probably why she can unintentionally hurt me with a single expression. It's also why I don't want her to be too far from my reach and my protection.

I hold my head up with my arm. I continue to think while I watch her sleep. Maybe if I stared at her long enough, all the problems would somehow resolve. Maybe I would gain some kind of clarity. However, the sight of her sleeping lulls my eyes to drop, and even when I try to stay awake, I'm too tired to succeed. I fall asleep in my chair.

* * *

It's morning. I know that even when my eyes are closed. The sun is shining down on me. It's making me too warm, but it's not the kind of heat that you hate. It's the kind of heat that you _crave_ , and I move a little closer to the source. I pull myself closer to it with the greatest reluctance to part from it as I bury my head to my pillow.

Pillow? Didn't I fall asleep in my chair?

I open my eyes slowly. I'm still groggy, which makes my vision unfocused. I blink a few times, trying to clear it, and finally, I can see clearly. My head is on my pillow, which means that I am in my bed. But what happened to Inoue? And that's when I notice some strands of hair at the bottom of my pillow. I look down.

It's Inoue. She's sleeping with me on my bed. No, she's sleeping on me. Her arm is flung over me and one of her legs is between mine, and her face is resting on my chest, and…and…

I can feel my whole body redden. How did I end up here? And why is she sleeping against me? And why is my hand pressing her head to me? Why is my arm around her waist? And why, oh why, am I cradling her body to me? Why am I not letting go?!

"Taking advantage of Inoue, are we?" My head snaps in the direction of my closet. There's Rukia with her phone out, mocking me.

Embarrassed, I release Inoue and push myself away from her, but in doing so, I fall out of my bed, hitting my head against the floor. I curse under my breath.

"Kurosaki-kun?" I sit up and look over at Inoue who is rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"She's still calling you Kurosaki-kun even after what you two did last night?" Rukia snickers.

"We didn't—" I try to stutter out.

"Kuchiki-san?" I see Inoue jump up, and her face flushes. "That's not it! I tried to move Kurosaki-kun to his bed, and I stumbled, and I got trapped under him, and I couldn't wake him, so I just let him sleep, and I was going to move when he did, but I fell asleep too, and nothing happened," Inoue rushes to get out everything. "And good morning, Kuchiki-san."

So that's what happened. I didn't even feel her moving me. I must have been tired, but was I really so tired that I didn't notice anything?

I look at Rukia, seeing if she believed what Inoue said. She's looking at her phone. "That's not what it looked like to me." She turns her phone to us, and I see a picture. And I could die from all the blood that leaves my body in favor for my face.

It's of Inoue and I. In the picture, I'm holding her close, and one of my arms is behind her neck, acting as her pillow while one of my hands is on her bare back because her shirt had risen. And I sharply turn my head away when I catch a glimpse of Inoue's underwear that peeked out from her skirt which had also risen up.

"Why!" I clear my throat. "Why did you take pictures?!"

Rukia looks at me like I'm dumb. "For my scrapbook. It's going to be called The Perverted Protector: The Beauty and The Beast edition." She winks at that. "Oh! Let me show you some more!" She shows another. This one is similar to the first one except she included herself in it. She's smiling while holding Kon in her hand. "I had to knock him out. He was starting to make too much noise." She looks at her phone again. "Let me show you my favorite one." And she shows it. And I need to destroy to her phone.

Our position is switched from the first picture. In the photo, I'm not holding her body to me. She's holding me to her. Her leg is trapped between mine. My head rests on one of her arms. And my face…it's on her chest. She's hugging my head, and it caused my head to be pushed onto her chest. And I can see that my fists are clenched behind her back, and it's not because I wanted to push her way. Even from the picture, I could tell. I was straining to pull her closer. Even asleep, my body wanted her to be closer.

"Give me it!" I lunge at her, trying to get her phone. She jumps away from me. I try again, and I feel my fingertips brush over the device until she snaps it away from my grasp.

"No! It's mine!"

"With pictures of Inoue and me! Give it!" I yell at her. I look at Inoue, and she looks deeply uncomfortable. I try even harder to get the phone "I swear, Rukia! You better give me your damn phone or else!"

"No!" She throws it in the air, and I lean to grab it, but she sweeps my legs. I fall while she grabs the phone.

From behind, I hear Inoue get up from my bed. I stop moving. "I'm…I'm going to use the bathroom."

"Inoue…" I say her name with hesitation, but she's already left. I turn my eyes back to Rukia. "You better delete those photos."

"I'll delete them…once I make my scrapbook." She smiles wickedly. "I wonder if I can order some bunny decorations from Urahara. I'm sure he would get me some once I show him these pictures!"

"You little…Huh?" I feel out the house. Inoue's reiatsu is not here anymore. I run out of my room and down the stairs.

"Onii-chan?" I head over to Yuzu.

"Did Inoue leave?"

"Yeah. She said she had something to do. She said to tell you goodbye and sorry. But why would she want to apologize? Oh, good morning, Rukia-chan! Orihime-chan wanted me to tell you that you should stop by at her apartment before you go home."

Why did she leave? Why didn't she say goodbye to my face? I close my eyes, tracing a path to her spiritual pressure. I can sense it moving quickly, meaning that she's running. Which means that I shouldn't go after her…because she's running away from me.


	11. Not Safe

A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews! I'm still debating if I should do Orihime's story, but honestly, I probably will. When I get writer's block on this story, I'll work on hers to get my creative juices flowing. This chapter is…kind of boring and short but filled with important information that will be referenced to in future, more exciting chapters. Trust me on this. So pay attention to details! Next chapter will be better. Promise. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing! Love you all!

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I sigh as I sit down. I've suddenly lost my appetite, but Yuzu is watching me, so I take a bit of whatever she made, not tasting it. She seems satisfied, and she excuses herself to help the old man at the clinic, saying something about how there are more patients than usual. She tells Rukia and I to stay, eat, and catch up as she leaves.

If Rukia notices the change in my mood, she doesn't comment on it, and for that, I'm grateful. Still pissed that she won't delete the pictures on her phone but grateful nonetheless.

"So why are you here? I thought Kyoraku-san said he couldn't spare anybody."

She looks up from her phone. "Captain-Commander," she corrects. I roll my eyes. "He can't, but he gave me permission to come visit for a day."

"Just for the day? That sounds…"

"Suspicious. Yes, I know."

"And what are you doing on your phone?'

"Reporting to Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Reporting what?" I ask.

She shrugs her shoulders. "Everything." She finally looks away from her phone. "Apparently, there has been unusual activities occurring."

"Like what?"

"Well…" she hesitates. "I'm not really sure. That's why I was instructed to report everything. I also have to wear this." She holds out her wrist. It's a bracelet. I reach out and inspect it, but it seems like something you would see at the store.

"What does it do?"

"No idea. Captain Kurotsuchi gave it to me before I left. I can't take it off until I get back."

"Bunch of weirdos," I insult under my breath.

"I also have to deliver something to Urahara."

"Sounds like your just running errands for them."

"Nothing I could do about it. It was an order. Speaking of orders, how are you doing?" She's referring to the one-month restriction.

I ignore her. "How's everything over there?"

She exhales. "It's chaos. There is much to be done. Buildings need to be rebuilt, the Gotei 13 needs reformation…bodies to bury, people to grieve for." I flinch at that. After defeating Ywach, I saw the amount of damage everything and everyone took. The fourth division could only do so much to save those who _could_ be saved. If Inoue had been there, she would have been able to rescue more people, but Chad told me later that she had her hands full with healing the injured at The Soul King Palace despite the wounds she suffered herself.

"Is there anything—"

She shakes her head before I can even finish. "Rest and relax, Ichigo. You deserve it."

"Tch. I would relax if I could use my powers," I tell her.

It's her turn to roll her eyes. "It's only three more weeks. You humans are too impatient."

My eye twitches. "Says the—"

"Ichigo! I need your help!" My dad yells.

I get from my chair as does Rukia. "I'm going to Urahara's. I'll be back." I nod and head over to my dad.

For the rest of the day, I help dad with data entry, inventory, and everything in between. It's a great way to keep my mind off of things, and by the time he lets me go, it's already late.

I find Rukia reading some manga on my bed.

"What have I told you about lying on my bed?" I ask with annoyance.

"What?!" She gasps. "So only Inoue-san gets a free pass? I see how it is." She smirks as I blush.

"That's not…Shut up!"

She covers her ears. "So loud," she complains.

I shoo her off my bed and lay down. "It's my room. I can be as loud as I want. And your bracelet's missing," I add as an afterthought while I close my eyes.

"Huh? When did I?" I open one of my eyes and look at her just in time to see her dive into the closet, looking for it.

"Forget about it. It's just a piece of jewelry."

"I hope you're right." She sighs and stands.

"Where are you going?"

"Inoue-san's. I was thinking about staying at her place, and then I'll leave from there in the morning."

"She'll like that," I say as I turn on my back. I look at the ceiling. "I think…I think she could use some company."

"What makes you say that? Did something happen?" I can hear the worry in her voice.

"Maybe," I tell her truthfully. Something I did upset Inoue, and maybe Rukia could cheer her up. It's a task that I seem to be failing at lately. "And you better apologize to her about the photos."

"The only one who needs to apologize is you for being a perve—" I chuck the manga she was reading at her. She ducks. "It was nice to see you, too."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Take care of yourself," she says as she leaves.

Finally, it's quiet…until I hear a thump on my window. I get up and open it. Kon drags himself through.

"I almost forgot to return him to you! You're welcome!" Rukia yells while waving goodbye. I scowl.

"Ichigo! You bastard! You and Inoue-san?! Since when?! You traitor!" Kon jumps on my face, punching my head. I rip him off me, and he struggles in my grip. He keeps complaining as I walk out of my room.

"Yuzu!"

"Yes?" She's now at the bottom of the staircase.

"Guess who's back?" I toss Kon to her, and she catches him. She hugs him close and squeals something about dressing him up. I could swear I see Kon glare at me.

I chuckle as I fall back onto my bed, thankful that I got rid of him. I would have to deal with him eventually, but I don't have the energy today. Besides helping dad, this morning had been taxing in its own way.

Shit. I had done such a good job blocking it. Rukia's presence and the endless number of things I had to do had made it easy to keep my mind from thinking about her. About this morning. But now everything has calmed down, and I can no longer stop my memories.

I can smell her. Her scent lingers on my sheet, my pillow, maybe even the mattress itself. I can even smell her in my memories, and I can't really describe in words how she smelled. All I know is that she smelled _good._

It takes me a second to realize that I had my pillow pressed against my nose. Immediately, I fling it away from me.

What's wrong with me?! Why was I sniffing my pillow like a dog? I close my eyes, disgusted with myself. But that's a mistake. A big mistake.

Images of Inoue start to fill my thoughts. Her in my arms. Me in hers. Our legs intertwined. Me with my face against her…

My eyes snap open.

Okay, so I can't close my eyes. It's not safe. I can't breathe through my nose. That's not safe either. But even with my eyes wide open and with me breathing through my mouth, without my permission, I start to remember how her skin felt. Even with my callous hands, she had felt so soft and smooth and…

I jump out of bed.

"What the hell!" I keep repeating it as I hit my head with my fists, trying to get her out of my mind. "What the hell is wrong with me!"

I grab a book from my desk, and I force myself to read it. Distractions…I need distractions, and it works for a while, but only for a while before an image of her takes over the words on the pages.

"Nope." I start to pace in my room.

 _Kurosaki-kun~_

"Not working." I rub my ears. I grab my headphones and put them on, turning my music on.

"Come on!" I knock them off my ears. Why can't I stop thinking about her?!

"Think about something else!" I command myself. "Anything!" And I force myself to think about something besides her, but once I realize that I can't, I try to focus on another memory of her.

And I regret it.

She left. She ran away from me. She couldn't even look me in the face. She didn't even say goodbye. She just…left.

She must've hated being next to me. She even said it herself. She was going to move, but I trapped her. She must hate me for it. She must hate me.

How am I going to face her tomorrow? It's going to be bad, but even worse…what would I do if she wouldn't face _me?_


	12. A Pinky Promise

A/N: Hello! Thanks for the reviews! If you are annoyed with Ichigo's denial and perpetual, forced ignorance, then you'll be pissed off in this chapter. You're welcome, but in all seriousness, I'm really excited where this story is headed. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing! (I do have tests this week and the next, so expect less updates. But I'll try my best!)

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"You look…" Mizuiro tries to find a word that would describe how awful I look while still being polite; he can't.

"Like crap. Thanks for noticing," I snap. I scowl, and I mumble an apology for being so short-tempered. I shouldn't take my anger out on him. It's not his fault that I couldn't sleep.

It's her fault and mine. Hers because she wouldn't disappear from my thoughts, and mine because I didn't try hard enough. No matter what I did last night, I kept thinking about her, and when I finally managed to sleep, she haunted my dreams.

No…that's not right. They were more like nightmares.

"Is something bothering you, Ichigo?"

I look up into the sky. Why is it so bright when I feel so damn miserable? So guilty?

"No. I just didn't sleep that well." I can still feel his eyes on my face. "Take a picture. It'll last," I begin sarcastically. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a picture," he says. "I'm giving everyone a heads-up to not get on your bad side."

My scowl deepens, but then I realize that he's probably right to send out a text. I mean, if Keigo tried anything today, I might just hurt him. For some reason, I'm very irritated with him. "Good idea."

We are quiet after that. He knows that I don't feel like talking, so he keeps to his phone while I keep to my thoughts.

I'm not that surprised that Keigo doesn't listen to Mizuiro's warning, but I am surprised when Tatsuki trips him before he can reach me. I almost thank her, but she passes me, whispering one word. One word that clearly tells me that Inoue had told her about yesterday. It's a word I've been hearing a lot lately.

I have a protest on my lips, but Tatsuki is down the hall, and I don't want to broadcast to the whole school that I am definitely not a pervert. That would just make me seem like a pervert, so with that in mind, I go to my class and fall into my seat and lay my head on the desk. I close my eyes, completely exhausted even though the day just started.

I hear something being placed on my desk. My eyes open to see a can of coffee. I trial my eyes higher, and I sit up quickly. It's Inoue.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun," she greets quietly. "It looked like you could use something to perk you up." She smiles.

"Oh, uh, thanks." I open the can and take a sip. She seems to brighten, and I suddenly don't feel as tired or low. The coffee works fast. "I guess you had fun with Rukia last night." She must have. It's the only reason why she could look so happy.

I would have to thank Rukia next time I see her.

"Mm-hmm! It was really fun! We stayed up all night talking!"

"All night? Maybe you should be the one drinking this." I hold out the drink for her, and she stares at it. She blushes as she takes the can from my hand. She brings it closer to her face, but then she sets it down on my desk while shaking her head.

"I can't!" She covers her face with her hands and runs out of the room.

Huh? What did I say? But instead of worrying about it, I'm relieved. She greeted me. She smiled at me. The nightmares that I had last night, ones in which she would ignore that I existed or disappear without a trace were meaningless. She's here, and she's happy. That's enough for me, and I can feel all the tension in my body melt away.

Ishida is not in his seat. He couldn't be late. He is too punctual for his own good, so it must be something else that stops him from attending class. I concentrate, and I hear the roar of hollows far away. He's probably dealing with them. It's nothing he can't handle, but my muscles become taunt, ready to fight. But I can't help, so I force myself to relax back into my seat and focus on whatever Sensei is going over.

He comes in a little bit later looking unfazed from fighting, and after giving an excuse for his tardiness, he sits down. I remind myself that it's only three weeks until I can fight again. Just three more weeks, and I can relieve Ishida from his hollow extermination duties. Three weeks until I can protect the people I care about with my own hands.

Lunch rolls around, and we head up to the roof to eat. Yuzu has packed me some food, and I munch on it as I listen to Keigo ramble on about something. I look down from the railing, and I spot a group sitting underneath a tree. It's Inoue and her friends. She usually alternates between eating with us on the roof and then eating with her other friends.

I watch as Inoue sticks a little more closely to Tatsuki's side. Tatsuki seems to not mind. All she does is pet Inoue's head. Even from here, I can tell that she is trying to comfort Inoue about her leaving, and maybe Tatsuki is doing it for herself. She's obviously going to miss Inoue just as much. It must be hard for her to part from Inoue.

"Are you paying attention to me, Ichigo?"

"Nope."

Keigo stands next to me. "What are you doing, anyways?" He looks down. "Oh!" He laughs, and he gets this sleazy expression on his face. "Trying to look down the girls' shirts, huh? You na—" I punch him, effectively cutting him short. He cradles his nose and cries to Mizuiro.

I glare at him as I sit down. Now I know why I'm so pissed off at him. He is the reason why I've been thinking weird thoughts about Inoue. All of his pervertedness is rubbing off on me! It's his damn fault for my other…nightmare.

I shake my head. Was it really a nightmare? If it was about Inoue, about her closeness to me, about her touch, about her b…No, nightmare is exactly the right word. If I felt guilty about it when I woke up, it's a nightmare.

Stupid Keigo.

The day passes slowly, and I struggle with staying awake. Ishida takes too much pleasure in throwing things at me to help with keeping my eyes open. I would have to pay him back somehow.

After classes end, I head to the school gate and wait.

"Kurosaki-kun!" I turn toward her, and I see her wave. Tatsuki is by her side, and she has this creepy smile on her face as they stop in front of me.

My eyes narrow. "What?"

"Nothing." She ruffles Inoue's hair. "See you tomorrow." Inoue nods. "Take care of her," She says as she walks over to me. She lays her hand on my shoulder. "Pervert."

I can't even deny it because Inoue is right there, so I let Tatsuki go without yelling at her.

"You ready?" Inoue asks.

My eyebrows raise. "You're asking me? So you're following our agreement? I guess I win the fight."

She blushes at my teasing. "Like I could win against you, Kurosaki-kun." I laugh. "Besides…I couldn't put up a fight today because…because I want to apologize."

"For what?"

She looks everywhere but at me. "For yesterday. I really inconvenienced you with sleeping on your bed and then, you know, sleeping with…you." I fear for her health with how red her face is getting.

It's my turn to look at everything but her. "It's not your fault. You said that I trapped you, which means that I should apologize." I should also apologize to her about the thoughts and the nightmare I had last night, but I keep that to myself. It's embarrassing enough to admit it to myself. There is absolutely no possible way that I could admit it out loud, especially to her.

"You don't have to apologize! It was…" She abruptly stops to bite her lip and twirl her hair with her finger.

It was what? What is she talking about? Could she have, on some off chance, liked, in some kind of way, sleeping in my arms?

Why is my heart beating so fast?

She doesn't finish what she was going to say, and I'm a little…disappointed. "I am just sorry—"

"Don't be, Inoue." I scratch my head awkwardly. "It's not…it was..." Just breathe, I tell myself.

She laughs into her hand. "Let's just put it behind us." I nod. "Good. I was afraid things would be awkward between us and that you would ignore me or something."

So she was worried about the same things that I was worried about. Knowing how she felt, I pick my next words carefully. I try to keep them light but meaningful. Something that would reassure her that if it's my choice, I wouldn't ignore her or leave. "Don't think I'd let you off so easily, Inoue. You're stuck with me."

"Stuck?" She stops walking. I look at her, and I can see her eyes start to water.

"Inoue?"

She crouches down and covers her face.

"Inoue?" I repeat her name louder. She's not crying or anything? I didn't make her cry, did I?!

Shit! What do I do? I couldn't handle tears.

She looks up, and to my relief, she's not crying. She's just grinning. She jumps up to her feet and walks forward until she stops in front of me. She looks up at me, and I'm getting a flashback to my nightmare last night, and I can't hold back the blood that's rushing to my face. I want to step back, but if this moment is anything like the nightmare, she will follow me, and I will trip, and I'll pull her with me, and we will be on the ground, and she'll lean down, and I'll lean up, and we'll…

"I'm going to tell you something, Kurosaki-kun. Not now but soon. And I hope, no matter what, that we will still be friends."

I frown. Tell me what? What could she possibly tell me that would jeopardize our relationship? But she's waiting for my answer, so I agree without knowing what I am agreeing to.

"Promise?" She holds out her pinky, and I know what she wants: a pinky promise. And she looks so expectant that I can't say no even though it's kind of embarrassing. So I just hook my pinky around hers.

"I promise."

She squeezes her pinky around mine, and I realize that if she asked, I might just promise her anything. And she's wrong when she said she couldn't win against me. If she smiles like that, smiles like that at _me,_ she would win. Because I would _let_ her win. I would, without hesitation or fail, let her win each and every single time.


	13. Strawberries and Misunderstandings

A/N: I miss you guys! I hate exams! TT TT I'm done with the first two, and I have two more on Tuesday, so hopefully I can update more regularly after. I'm sorry for the long wait! But I hope this chapter will be enough to hold you over until I'm done with my them. I'll try to write some more in my breaks. This chapter…I like it, but not as much as I usually do. Oh well. It's important for next chapter, so keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing.

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The moment she unwinds her pinky from mine, she becomes so…I don't know the right word to describe the change in her. All I know is that her smile seems even more carefree than it usually is, her voice is just a bit more upbeat, and her steps have an extra kind of bounce, and I have to pin my hands to my sides just so that I won't pull her to me because I'm sure she's going to trip or something. Her reiatsu radiates off her and onto me, and it's like every move she makes and every word that leaves her mouth, everything about her, dispenses happiness and something else that I can't put my finger on.

It's overwhelming, but it's welcomed. And for the moment, I bask in it, in this warmth that seems to tear away from her so it can cling to me. I just listen to her recount this story she heard during lunch, and I don't worry about the cryptic promise or about the nightmare. I can't worry about anything when she's like this.

Even when she mentions Tatsuki, she doesn't lose her…glow.

"We're going to visit her college this weekend. I have to make sure that's it good enough for her," she declares as she grinds her fist into her hand like she's ready to gear up for a fight.

I smile. "So if it's not, you're going to what? Beat up the college?"

"Be honest, Kurosaki-kun. Who would win: my head or a building?" She head-butts the air, looking absolutely ridiculous while doing it. I can't help but trying to smother a laugh. "That's what I thought."

"I'm begging you, for the college's sake, don't go around doing that."

"I make no promise," she jokes. "Although, I don't want to embarrass Tatsuki in her future school, so maybe I should just restrain my attacks. Maybe I can…" she trails off, and she gets that look like she's about to enter a daydream. She shakes her head. "I'll come up with something."

"Don't think too hard about it," I advise.

"You're right. It'll come naturally." She stops walking, and I look at her, wondering why she isn't walking, but before I can ask her, I notice our surroundings. We are already at her work.

How did I not notice that? And why do I feel reluctant to let her go?

"Uh…Would you like to drop in for a bit?" My eyes widen. "You don't have to, but I mean, you wouldn't have to pay or anything. It'll be my treat, and you can sit down at one of table and rest or not. Or-or you can take something to go, and I-"

"I can stay for a while."

"Really?!" She blushes. "Okay! Follow me!" She marches ahead of me, but I stride forward to reach for the door to hold it out for her. She blushes even more. "Thank you." I blink at that.

"No problem." She enters the store, and she says that she needs to change and for me to sit anywhere I like. She disappears behind a door.

There's not a lot of places to sit, but I manage to get a seat at a small table near the back. I watch as the shop starts to fill up with those guys who only come by to leer at Inoue. They all seem rowdy, and when Inoue emerges, they become even louder. She bows to greet them, and although there are a lot of people in between us, she still manages to lock eyes with me and smile.

I see her whisper to one of her coworkers who's at the register. Inoue grabs something and walks out from the behind the corner. She says hello to all of the "customers" surrounding her as she passes them. I tell myself to remain seated because if I don't, I'm positive my fist will say hello to all of those guys' faces.

She squeezes her way through, and she stops in front of me. She hands me a menu and grins. She leans in a bit closer to me, and she lowers her voice when she says, "You can order anything. It's my treat."

I struggle a little with looking into her eyes with her sudden proximity. "Are you sure? I can pay. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."

"Don't be silly. I got it covered." She backs up a little like she just noticed how close she is to me. "Umm…I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu and choose what you want. I'll be back." She returns back to the corner and starts to work.

Today, she is listening to orders, getting them, and placing them into boxes or bags and handing the orders to the customers. I can tell by the overzealous reactions in the crowd that they are excited about this. I can feel my scowl deepen as I try to figure out why all the guys seem to be cheering even more.

And then I see it. I see it when a guy orders something, and Inoue goes to retrieve it. She has to stand on her tippy-toes to reach something, and she does this three times until I truly get it.

When she stretches for something, her chest…her chest pops out a bit more, and her dress rides up just a bit, revealing more of her legs. And in the moment that she settles her feet back on the ground from standing on the tip of her toes, her chest bounces.

My eye twitches.

Someone orders something from the bottom display, and I think there's no problem with that. It's better, but then I catch a glimpse of what's really happening.

Inoue bends over as she tries to pinpoint which dessert the customer wants. I can see that she tilts her head up to try to understand better, and in doing so, her hair falls over one shoulder leaving the other one bare, giving everyone the chance to look at her chest more closely. Some guys aren't looking at her. They are peering at the TV which is mounted at the top of the corner of the shop. It's turned off, so I don't know why they are pointing at it and looking at it with such fascination. Then I figure that out too.

I stand up with such force my chair falls to the floor. I don't even bother to pick it up as I storm over to the counter. I elbow my way to the front, not even caring if I'm being rude because, honestly, they should all be counting their blessings that I don't let my temper take over.

"Inoue."

She stands straight immediately, abandoning her task at hand. "Is something wrong, Kurosaki-kin?" I guess my facial expression gives me away.

"Can you turn on the TV?" She glances behind her and turns back to me. She opens her mouth like she is going to ask why, but she just presses her lips together and shrugs. She searches for something next to the register. She finds the remote and turns it on.

There is a collective of groans behind me.

I thank her over my shoulder as I walk back to my knocked over seat. I feel the eyes stabbing me in the back, and I all can I do is smile. But when I sit down, my smile falls.

How long has that been going on? How long have they been looking into the TV's reflection to see Inoue's…Inoue's…

I see red for more than one reason. My jaw clenches as do as my fists, and I can feel my anger build up in my chest. I am starting to lose my senses. All I can think of is beating up all of those perverts until their eyes are swollen shut because that's the only thing I could do that will stop them from eye-fucking her! Because that's what they are doing! They are treating her like she's an object to be viewed and not like a human being! She should be treated better! She should be admired! Adored! She should be…

"Are you alright?" I snap out of my thoughts. Her worried expression causes my fury to drain from my body. I nod. "Are you sure?" She presses. "Your spiritual pressure spiked."

"I'm fine," I lie. By the crease between her eyebrows, she doesn't believe me. "Really," I state a bit more firmly.

"Okay." She's still worried. "Do you see anything that you would like?"

"W-what?" I stutter out. She points at the menu. "Oh! Uh…I can't decide." I haven't even looked at the stupid thing.

"Would you like for me to surprise you with something?" Her eyes sparkle.

"Sure."

"I'll be back with your order soon!" And then she returns to her duties.

Shit! For a second, a brief second, maybe even less than that, I thought she was referring to herself when she asked if I saw anything I liked. I thought that she caught me watching her, and she was repeating that cheesy line that you hear every so often.

What the hell? Why does my face feel like it's burning? She hadn't meant it in the way I misconstrued. She would never say something like that. And if she did, she would never direct it at me. That kind of line, that kind of connotation attached to it, it's meant for the man that she likes. The man that she talked about. The man who isn't me. Not me and never could be…

"Ichigo." My breath leaves my body as her voice invades my mind. I stare up at her in shock. Did she…? Did she call my name?

I'm speechless.

"Do you not like it?"

Not like it? What is she talking about? If it's about her calling me by my first name, I didn't not like it. It's surprising, but the way her voice wrapped around my name, the way her voice hit my ears, the thought that my name passed her lips, it feels…good. Right.

"No! It's just that—"

"Because I can take it back," she quietly offers. I shake my head, and with relief, she smiles. "I'm glad you like it. I made the design myself."

Design? And then I look down. There is a piece of chocolate cake, but what captures my attention is the cup of coffee that is in front of me. It's the design she is talking about. A strawberry. The froth's design is a strawberry.

I feel foolish.

"Since I knew your name, I've always wanted to do something like this," she admits as she looks away. Her cheeks are pink. "Well, I better get back to work! Wave me down if you need anything, Kurosaki-kun!" She doesn't wait for my response.

What's the matter with me? Why am I feeling disappointed that she really didn't say my name? That she is using my surname like usual? Why does that bother me? Why _do_ Inoue and I use our last name when addressing each other? We are friends. More than that, really, so why do we not call each other by our first name? She is understandable. There are only a select number of people in which she called by first name, but I call everyone who is close to me by their first names. Ishida is an exception, but I know why I keep to his surname. Despite our familiarity and our unbreakable friendship, we had this unspoken rivalry and respect for each other that it seems like it would be disrespectful to call him something other than his family name.

But what about her? Why do I make the subconscious distinction to refer to her as Inoue? What made her different from everyone else? It's not like we aren't close. It's not like we are not friends. It's not like we wouldn't do anything for the other. So why? Why is she so different?

And like a flood, all of the unanswerable questions that have been piling up since earlier wash over me, making me feel like I'm downing.


	14. Break My Promise

A/N: I grew tired of studying, so I goofed off for a bit and voila! I've completed this chapter! Me:0 Procrastination: ∞ If you are all wondering why the pace is so slow, it will eventually pick up, but when it does, it'll mean that the end is in sight, so…let's savor these slice of life chapters. (I realize that this chapter could have totally been tacked on to chapter 12, but oh well! Too late now!) If all goes as planned, the next chapter will be one of my favorites! Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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I grab my head as question upon question flow over each other in a perpetual loop. I couldn't even begin to answer them as another question would push to the forefront of my mind. I couldn't grasp anything, and I can feel pain starting to build behind my closed eyes.

"Who the fuck are you?"

I turn my head a little, so I can pry one eye open to look across from me. Some guy is sitting down and glaring at me. I close my eye, deciding to ignore him as best as I can. I couldn't deal with another headache.

"I said, 'Who the fuck are you?!'" The guy repeats a little bit louder. He jostles the table, and I glance down. He has ruined Inoue's creation.

I'm pissed.

I glare at him. "None of your business."

He scoffs. "What are you to Inoue-chan? Why is she catering to you? She never makes anything for anyone."

I can feel my lip twitch. Why do I feel like smiling at his words? He makes it sound like I'm special to Inoue.

Again, I ignore him.

He stands up, and I think maybe's he given up, but all he does it reach over and grab me by my shirt, pulling me up. I let him do this because I couldn't fight in here. It would reflect poorly on Inoue. No. If I want to fight this guy, which, if I'm being honest, I do, I would have to somehow get him outside before any fists were thrown.

"You better stay away from her," he threatens as his face nears mine.

My body tenses. He is acting like he has some kind of claim on her. Like he owns her, but no one, no one, owns her.

" _You_ better get your fucking hand off me before you lose it," I warn him. In response, his grip tightens on me.

"Heh. Heh. Is everything alright?" I look to my left. Inoue is rubbing her head with one hand, and her smile is strained. Everyone in the bakery is silent. "Customer-san, would you mind letting go of Kurosaki-kun's shirt?" He doesn't release me. In fact, it seems like he's even angrier now that Inoue is here.

Her smile disappears, and she becomes serious.

"I think the lady asked you to let her friend go." A man stands behind Inoue. He has this lazy smile on his face, but his eyes…they reflect something menacing. The guy probably senses it too because his hold lessens until he finally removes his hand from me altogether. I straighten myself. "We don't want any trouble, so if you could please leave on your own, that would be great." The guy clearly doesn't want to go. I can tell that he wants to finish what he's started, but he decides it's best not to push his luck. He exits the store in a huff.

"You're not too shaken up, Orihime-san?" My head jerks up at that, and my jaw locks as I see his hand on her shoulder.

She turns slightly to him while she shakes her head in a frantic manner. "No! I'm fine." He smiles down on her, and his fingers curl in as he squeezes her shoulder. It's supposed to be comforting, but all it does is make me strangely uncomfortable.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to head back. Next time, call me before trying to handle it yourself."

"Hai! Thank you, Kansuke-kun!" He pats her head, and he starts to walk away, but as he does, he looks at me briefly. And he smugly grins at me before he goes back behind those closed doors.

How does he do it? How am I more infuriated now than I was with that other guy?

"What happened, Kurosaki-kun?" My eyes find hers, and they shine in worry.

I sigh, and I make myself calm down. "Nothing. He thought I was someone else."

She gazes down at her feet, and I feel guilty. I don't like to lie her, and I especially don't like how she knows when I'm lying. It makes me feel even worse.

She nods, and she gives me that forced smile of hers, and the guilt increases. We are silent, and it borders on the line of awkward before she speaks again. "I have to get back to work."

I sit back down as she scurries off.

He's the baker. She's mentioned him before. He is the one who teaches her sometimes, and from the way he addresses her by her first name, they are familiar with each other. Friendly. Because he would've been calling her by her family name since he is not that older than Inoue and I. He looks like he is in his mid-twenties. No, they are close.

She's watching me. I can feel her eyes on me, so I eat the cake she brought for me. It's good. Really rich and savory. But then I think about who made it, and the taste transforms from sweet to…bitter. I grab the coffee and take a sip, trying to cleanse my palate. It's a shame that the guy messed up Inoue's design before I could really examine it. Before I can really take in the fact that she made it specifically for me and only me.

I know I am supposed to go to my own part-time job. I've been doing really well at going every day because it gave me the perfect excuse to walk Inoue to and from work. She didn't have to fret about putting me out because we were going to same way. She accepted it without protest.

I should go to avoid an earful from Ikumi, but I remain seated.

I remember that Inoue had dismissed the idea of the man being the one that she liked. She had denied it when Yuzu asked but that does nothing to squash whatever I'm feeling.

So he is not the one that she likes, but…but the man is not terrible looking. He seems nice enough. It's obvious he's fond of her. Although, I didn't know who wouldn't be fond of Inoue. He's tall, talented, and close. He's close to her. And it's different in the way I'm close to her. Different from Chad and Ishida, too. I don't know how it's different, but it is. I can feel that.

So he is not the one that she likes, but it easily could be.

There are parts of her that I don't know. That I haven't tried to know before, and I don't know why that bothers me. It never did, but now it does. I don't know what's change in me, but change it did. And now I regret it. I regret not discovering more about what she likes and what she doesn't. I really don't know who she knows except for the people we mutually hang with, and because of that, I really have no idea who she could possibly like. That's a part of her that I really don't _want_ to know.

But I know I can no longer play naïve. I know why she made me promise her that we would still be friends. I know what she wants to tell me. She's going to tell me who she likes. I don't know why that would threaten our friendship, but it does. She knows it, too, which is why she made me promise in the first place.

The second she tells me his name, everything will change. I'm not stupid. I know that. I won't be walking her anymore. He'll be taking my spot. She won't be joining us on the roof anymore. She'll be with him. She won't greet me the same. She'll save it for him. She won't need my protection. He'll protect her.

I don't like lying to her. I hate it. I really do, but…the second she tells me his name, it'll be the moment I break my promise to her.


	15. Live Like That

A/N: This chapter took forever to write just because I had to find a balance between Ichigo's intelligence (he really is smart) and his obliviousness in regards to himself and Inoue. I'm sorry about the long wait! I'm glad that I have gained a loyal fan base for this story! I really cherish each favorite, follow, and review I get. Anyways, I hope all of you continue to read, review, and enjoy!

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I couldn't condemn her for liking someone. It's only natural that she would harbor those kind of feelings for a person. She's always given her affection so freely that it would be a crime, a force against nature, if she remained alone. And yet, selfishly, I want just that.

I couldn't really put it into words, but when I glance up from my workbook that I have been pretending to read from, as my eyes follow her as she moves back and forth completing task after task, I can't help but want her to stay unchanged as the Inoue that I know. The Inoue whose smile is for everyone and not for just a specific someone.

Why couldn't she stay that way? Is she unhappy with the way things are now? Is she no longer content with having us, her friends, by her side? Is that why she's suddenly talking about crushes and whatnot? Is it because Tatsuki is leaving? It would make a little sense if it were because then…then I could reassure her that we would still be there for her. That I would be there for her. It would be better if that were the case.

Or maybe she just likes that undeserving man. Maybe she's tired of hiding her feelings. Maybe she just wants to be with that man. The man that she has chosen carefully. The man who she deems special and worthy of her.

And the sad thing is…he wouldn't be. Whoever she picked, he would never be worthy of her. Which is why Inoue and I could not be friends after she tells me about him. Because how could I sit and watch as she settled for anything less than what she deserves? I couldn't. I would, every step of the way, watch that man, scrutinize each move he made, fight him every second he is with her. I would, without my own permission and without good reason, undermine him and by doing that, I would undermine her entire relationship. And I wouldn't do that to her. I wouldn't cause her that kind of pain. Nor would I willingly wait for that devious, yes devious because how else could he manage to gain her favor, devious because he dared to deny it for another, man to break her heart. And I wouldn't be able to protect her from it because she gives him the power to do so. I wouldn't be able to handle seeing that happen. I _couldn't_ stomach it.

She looks up suddenly when she is handing someone their order, and her eyes find mine. And then she smiles. She smiles, and I my conviction starts to waver.

She finishes up and rushes to my side. "You stayed."

My lips inch their way up a little. "Yeah. It's a good place to study," I lie. I hadn't read a word, but it would give me just enough leeway, so she won't ask me a question about my presence at the bakery.

And then, she regains that glow from earlier, and again, I'm shaken.

She laughs. "Well, I'm almost done. I just have to clean up, and then we can head out." I nod, and she starts heading back to her station. I stand up and follow her. She stops and looks at me.

"I can help."

She blushes and shakes her head. "It's okay! I can-"

"I want to help." I leave no room for argument, and I can see her fighting a smile.

"Alright," she relents. "I'm going to put you to work, Kurosaki-kun," she threatens as if to make me rescind my offer.

"Do your worst because I'm up for the challenge," I counter, and her laughter fills the room, and I swear it's so powerful that it seeps into my skin.

She claps her hands together and looks around the store, probably seeing what needs to be done. "Oh! You can help me with the trays on the top!" She walks over to them. She opens one of the displays, and she stretches up and carefully pulls out the tray. Before I know it, I'm behind her, taking the tray from her hands. Her head tilts back in surprise, and I freeze in surprise, and there is this moment in which we just stand in this position. Where we just look at each other.

"I _feel_ like I'm interrupting something."

Inoue jumps a little, and in that movement, because we are so close, because I have yet to move away from her personal space, that small jump allows for her body to be pressed against mine in the most inappropriate of ways. Her backside against my…

I stumble back, and the tray almost flies backwards.

Inoue is fussing out a denial with her face so deeply red. Kansuke is taking what she is saying with a grin as he leans against the door frame. He walks forward and lays his hand on top of her head, and I set the tray on the counter. I feel weirdly tempted to throw it at him.

"Calm down, Orihime-chan. I'm just teasing." She nods, and he laughs. And his hand is still on her, and she's not moving back or flinching from him, and I'm unsettled.

He looks up. He smirks at me, and he runs his hand down her head like he is smoothing down her hair. I glare at him, silently demanding him to stop. He ignores my warning.

"Who is this?" I ask her, and just like I wanted, she turns to me and steps forward. He's no longer touching her.

She smacks her forehead. "How rude of me! I forgot to introduce you two! This is…"

"Kansuke Sakuma." He moves over to us, and he stops when he is by her side. He sticks out his hand for me to shake.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." We shake hands, and I must admit that I squeeze his hand a bit harder than normal. His grip is just as strong.

He lets go. "So you're the infamous Kurosaki…" He glances down at Inoue. "Kun."

I peek at her, and her blush returns. She reaches out and tugs on his white sleeve. "She talks about you all the time." My eyebrows raise. She talks about me? I can feel myself warm up at the thought. "And Tatsuki-chan, Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, Kuchiki-san, and so on."

Bastard. He did that on purpose. "Well, that's funny. She's hardly ever mentioned you."

Petty. It's petty, I know it, but there is something about this man that rubs me the wrong way.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She gasps.

"It's okay, Orihime-chan. It would be kind of…scandalous for a high school girl to talk about an old man too often," he directs this at me while he smirks, and I scoff.

"You're not old," she protests.

"Aww. Isn't our Orihime-chan so nice?" He goes in to touch her head again.

"Inoue, what should I do with the trays?" She rushes to my side and grabs the tray.

"Oh, right! We're supposed to be cleaning! We'll be taking them to the kitchen to wash them. Excuse us, Kansuke-kun." She disappears behind the door.

We size each other up for a second until I decide that I've had enough of him. I go for the other trays, stacking them up together to make only one trip. I pass him, resisting the urge to bump him on the way.

Inoue is at the industrial sink, already washing the tray, and I join her. She gives me an appreciative smile as we wash, and the annoyance that man caused becomes less and less noticeable. And when she starts humming some tune, I completely forget him altogether. It's just her and I in this whimsical bubble she's created.

When we finish, we tread back to the front, and to my great displeasure, he's still there. I tell myself to not be rude, so I keep all of the comments I wish to make to myself.

"I wiped down the counters for you, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Thank you, Kansuke-kun!" She looks around the room. "I guess I should go change since everything seems to be in order."

It's quiet after she leaves the two of us alone. "You do know that I care about her, don't you?"

As I hear that, everything in me tightens. "I don't know anything," I spit out.

He chuckles. "Let me just give you one word of advice, man-to-man: if you hurt her, don't be showing your face around here anymore."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Before he can answer, Inoue crashes into the room. "Is everything alright?!"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" He smiles, but she doesn't see it. She's looking at me, her eyes searching for something I'm not quite sure of. My own eyes shift down, avoiding hers in case I give my feelings, whatever they are, away, but in doing so, I catch a glimpse of skin.

"Inoue, your shirt…"

"Huh?" She looks down and swiftly turns around. She gives an awkward giggle. "I was in a rush, so I buttoned my blouse wrong. How embarrassing."

"What's more embarrassing is that you're trying to fix it with two men in the room," he jokes. At this, she runs off yelling an apology.

Again, the room falls into a tension-filled silence. I'm not going to attempt to make conversation with this insufferable man. Everything he says would either piss me off or confuse me, which in turn would piss me off even more. With us, silence would be better.

She reenters with her uniform in place.

"Here you go, Orihime-chan." He hands her a box of baked goods. It looks like regular bread. "And remember, eat it with something other than butter." She reluctantly agrees. "Okay, you two should go, so I can lock up. I'm tired, too."

He ushers us out, and I don't wait for him to finish locking the doors. Inoue says goodbye and catches up to me.

"You're probably wondering why he's locking up tonight, right? Owner-san is out of town this week visiting his grandchildren, which means we all have to pick up the slack. Which reminds me! Thank you for helping with cleaning! It was really sweet of you. "

I'm glad it's dark. She can't see the pink in my cheeks. "It's nothing. And it should be me thanking you."

"For what?"

"For treating me to a meal."

"It…it wasn't a meal, but you're welcome. May-maybe next time I can treat you to a real meal."

It almost sounds like she just asked me out on a date but that's impossible. She wouldn't be asking me something like that. She'll save those words for him.

"Next time I'll treat you to something," I tell her. I strain my eyes, trying to spot her reaction to my offer. It doesn't disappoint. She starts to light up.

"Next time," she whispers with…excitement? It could be, and it also could be something else. Either way, I'm unexpectedly conflicted.

Would the next time come soon enough? Would it come before she'll tell me? Before I distance myself from her?

The air feels suffocating.

Could I do it? Would I really be able to let her go? Even in theory, it seems difficult, so what would I do when the moment finally comes?

How dramatic of me. How Shakespearean. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing for Inoue and I. So what if I couldn't see her with him? It wouldn't necessarily mean that I would have to cut her completely out of my life. We just wouldn't spend as much time together. I could live like that until we graduate. I could live with just seeing her sporadically. And then when we finally part for the next stage in our life, I could live with just feeling her reiatsu from a distance. She said she wouldn't leave this town, and I wouldn't either, so I could live like that. If I could just feel her, sense that she is safe and happy, I could live with that kind of future. I would _have_ to be able to live like that.

For her sake, I would _make_ myself live like that.

She's strangely silent. She's always been attuned to my unspoken moods and feelings. Could she, on some level, be sensing this dread that's building up inside me?

"You're worried." I state. She doesn't deny it. She just releases a meek 'yeah'. "About what?"

"Why did that customer…why did he…I don't understand."

So that's bothering her. "Don't worry about it, Inoue." I brush it off. I couldn't tell her the real reason without broaching upon dangerous and embarrassing territory. "I am sorry that I kind of made a scene, though."

"It's not your fault," she defends me quickly. I smile at that. She doesn't even really know if I'm not the one to blame, but there she goes again, putting all her faith in me. Trusting me without good reason.

How hurt will she be when I start avoiding her? Even after I promised her that that would never happen?

"You know, my coworker, she was really scared that you two would start fighting, and even when the situation was defused, she was still wary about you. And I thought, 'How funny.'"

"Funny?"

"Yeah. She couldn't see that you were restraining yourself. That you wouldn't have done anything." She looks away. "She thought you were scary. I thought you were cool."

Cool? How was it that she could look at me, me who was baring teeth and fists, and think that I was cool? But that's her. She always sees the good in me.

"You're are so weird." The words come out soft and…affectionate? Well, her weirdness _is_ enduring in a way.

She laughs. "Kurosaki-kun is cool, and I'm weird? That sounds about right." She laughs some more. Then her laughter quietens, and she stops walking. She briefly looks down. She moves her hands together, clutching them, and she shifts her head up. It appears like she is staring at my chin rather than into my eyes. "Ummm, Kurosaki-kun, I, well, I…"

I stare at her with apprehension. She's blushing and stuttering, and I have a feeling that she is going to tell me it now. Tell me who she likes, but I'm not ready. I'm not ready to let our relationship, whatever it is, be destroyed.

So I cut her off.

It's my turn to ramble as I start walking again. I tell her about keeping the television on at work to keep the customers entertained while they wait in line. She's shocked that I interrupted her, and maybe even a little hurt, but I continue. I continue with saying that she should get a chair to step on, so she won't have to reach for anything that is up too high because she'll hurt her back from all of the stretching. I tell her that she should squat instead of bending because, again, she'll hurt her back, and she doesn't question me about the advice I offer her for which I'm grateful.

Once satisfied that I've made it sufficiently more difficult for all of those perverts to enjoy a peek-show without actually harming them physically, I change the topic. I don't ease up on the talking, fearing that if I leave her the opportunity, she will try to finish what she was trying to tell me.

"It's really too bad that you have plans on Saturday. Karin has another match, and she was hoping that you would make it."

"Really?" I nod. "I would have loved to go…" I can hear the sadness and regret in her voice.

"Well, you can go the following Saturday if you don't have any plans."

"I'm free!" She shouts. She whips her head back and forth as she covers her mouth, realizing that she screamed it out loud. I laugh. "Will…will you be going, too?"

I squint in confusion. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"Karin-chan told me that you sometimes don't go because of work and stuff," she explains.

I blush. At least, Karin had the decency to make some excuse for me. I'll admit that I had taken some days off from watching her matches to work, either at my job or on homework, hang out, or just relax. But if Inoue is going to watch, then so would I.

"I decided to take the weekends off for the time being."

"So you'll be there? You're sure?" I nod slowly. "Okay!" She pumps a fist into the air. "The following Saturday it is!"

"What?"

But she doesn't hear my question because we are already at her apartment, and she's thanking me for walking her home. She gives me the box, saying that she has some leftovers from yesterday, and she's waving goodbye to me while smiling that smile of hers, and she leaves me at the bottom of the stairs while I wonder why her reiatsu seems so much like earlier.

I walk home, disturbed. I had succeeded in delaying the inevitable, but she'll eventually tell me. I couldn't keep dodging her confession without her becoming suspicious.

It's frustrating! The more time I spent with her, the more chances she had to tell me. But if I start to avoid her now, that will just mean more time away from her, less time to enjoy her company.

She's right. Things are changing, and I'm just not prepared for it.

Yuzu greets me at the front door, and I barely muster a smile before handing her the box and claiming that I already had something to eat. I head up to my room and fall face first onto my bed, feeling tired and…miserable.

"What's with that face, Ichigo?"

I roll over and sit up.

"What are you doing here, Renji?" I can't even begin to hide my irritation.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I've gotta deliver something to Urahara-san."

I'm too lethargic to even comment that Rukia was just here for the same thing. All I do is lie back down, hoping he will get the hint. He doesn't.

"How's Inoue?"

I spring up. "She's good. Why? What'd you hear?" Rukia better not have told him anything or showed him any of those pictures.

"Nothing." It's quiet as I scowl at him. "Do you know if she's seeing anyone?"

I choke on air. "What?!"

"Is she dating anyone? I have a…friend who is interested in her."

"Why?"

He glowers. "You know, just because you don't think she's beautiful, doesn't-"

"I never said she isn't beautiful!" I shout at him.

His eyes widen, and he makes the 'I surrender' gesture with his hands. "Okay. I get it. You think that she's beautiful."

"What!" I sputter out. "I didn't mean it like that. I just…I just." I'm sure my face matches his hair. "Whatever. It's not like it's a secret that she's…attractive," I remark. "And I meant to say, 'Why now.' Not just why."

He walks over to my desk and picks up a book and starts to flip through it. "My friend…he just seems more and more interested."

I can feel my eyebrows push together. "Tell him not bother. She's already likes someone else."

"Wait, you know that she likes—"

"Likes some guy, yeah," I finish impatiently.

…

"You're an idiot," he insults.

"As if that means anything coming from you," I retort.

He puts the book down, and he folds his arm across his chest. He leans against my desk and stares at me for a full minute with his eyes narrowed in on me. "So Rukia says you've been walking Inoue lately."

"What of it?" It's starting to feel like he is being confrontational with me.

"Well, why?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" I grind my teeth. He stares at me. "I don't know. Okay? Why does it even matter why I'm walking her? It's not a big deal."

"It does matter," he argues. I blink at the forcefulness of his statement. "Look, I know you feel guilty, but you can't just stay by her side because of it."

"That's not…Why would I feel guilty?"

"Who are you trying to kid, Ichigo?"

I look away. Is that what's going on? Is it guilt that is pulling me to Inoue? Making me feel this way? Confusing me? Is it the guilt from _then_ that is wreaking havoc in my life recently?

I shake my head. "It's not guilt. Why can't I just want to be with her? Why does there need to be a reason?"

"You're right. You don't need to have a reason. You two are _just_ friends, right?"

There it is again. _Just friends._ I'm starting to hate that phrase. It describes what Inoue and I are, and at the same time, it doesn't, and it feels like the more I hear it, the more…disconcerted I become.

"Right," I agree under my breath.

He is still studying me. "You can't protect her forever." I cringe from his words. "You can't just stick to her, thinking that you can protect her from every danger out there. It's not fair, and you'll just end up hurting her."

"I know that!" I snap. Of course it isn't fair. She even mentioned it earlier, and I experienced it today. My presence around her affects people's perceptions and actions. I already thought about this, which is why I decided to make myself scarce in her life after she tells me. I would do this, so I could spare her the pain. I'd forget about the pain it will cause me when I detach myself from her. I would do this to protect her.

And I'm wrong and so he is. Even if that spot next her is filled by that man, it wouldn't hinder me from protecting her. It's a job that I would never resign from. A promise that I'd die to uphold. A vow that no one could keep me from fulfilling.

"You really are an idiot." He looks exasperated as he pushes himself off from his perch. He turns toward the door. "I'm leaving. I told Rukia I'd talk to you, even though I told her it would be hopeless, and I did." He takes three steps and stops at the doorway. His back faces me. "I know Inoue's more than just a friend, Ichigo. She means more to you than you probably know. But if you don't realize how _much_ she means to you, you'll lose her."

My mouth opens, but no sounds come out.

"You bastard!" He rubs his neck. "I thought I told you that I didn't ever want to sound so sappy and sentimental ever again." He flicks his wrist to the right to indicate his goodbye, and I notice that he is wearing the same bracelet that Rukia lost. "Get your head out of your ass, Ichigo. You are the only one standing in the way to your own happiness."


	16. Guilt

A/N: Sorry for the long time away! I had writer's block! You see, I have all the pivotal moments planned out (their first date is going to be so cute it's bound to make you sick), but I have always been troubled with just starting a new chapter! I rewrote the introduction to this chapter six, six!, times. This chapter provides insight. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying and reviewing!

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I remember that Yhwach had been merciful. Even when his Reishi sword had sought to end my life, I had given him my gratitude. I had silently, to the point of almost nonexistent, thanked him that he had aimed most of his attacks at me, landed his blows on me, tried to kill me. Because I had felt it. When her shield had no longer protected her, when I had jumped in the way so that my body had acted as a barrier between her and death, I had felt it. I had felt the hesitation in his blade, the restriction of power he had used, and the lack of killing intent.

Maybe he'd seen it. Seen what would have happened if he had killed her. Had he seen his defeat? I don't know how, but if he'd taken her life, I know I would have taken his. Even with my broken blade, I would have killed him. Her death is the one thing I couldn't fathom. Couldn't bear. He probably knew that. So he'd toyed with her every chance that he got, knowing that I would try to block any damage that I could until my body had refused to move.

And when he had said that I could despair, I had let myself feel it. A momentary lapse, but when I had to watch as he delivered this burst of darkness, of concentrated energy at her, watch as her shield cracked under the pressure, watch as she was flown back, watch as her body hit rubble and ricocheted against the ground, it was when I had truly taken his words to heart.

But he hadn't finish her, hadn't push me over the edge because although she was hurt, she was alive. And that had been comforting at the time. Despair and all, I had believed I could still fight. Somehow. I had really thought that I could because she was alive, and I couldn't fail.

And then...he'd appeared in front of me. Through my exhaustion, I'd swung the hilt and whatever was left of my blade at him, but he had blocked my arm, and my sword flew somewhere. I didn't see where because he had inflicted an excruciating attack that sent me flying. I couldn't recover in time before he grabbed my head and stated that I had no more fight in me. And then, I just couldn't recover from anything.

He had been right. My sword couldn't touch him. Inoue was near death.

I couldn't fight. She couldn't block. It was over.

And when he'd taken away the Quincy power within me and the hollow power that was mixed with it, it was final. I had failed.

In utter despair, complete hopelessness, there had been one shining salvation in the demise he would cause. One redeeming thing that I clung to at the time, but now remember in complete shame.

In my failure to win, I would die. Everything would just…cease to exist, and I wouldn't…I wouldn't have to live with anything. Not with the guilt, not with the agony, not with anything.

And I wouldn't have to…wouldn't have to see her in pain any longer or see her death. Because seeing someone you cared about die and knowing someone you cared about die was different, and I'd rather die with the knowledge that I had failed, failed her, than see it. In my crippling failure, I had been a bit… relieved.

Despite knowing that we were done, she had tried, injured and writhing in pain, to fix my blade. Restore it instead of herself and that-that just had made me wish that Yhwach would just end everything. And then Renji had came and attacked, and I thought that he shouldn't even bother. To just stop and let that bastard just win because, really, he had already won.

Rukia had been with Inoue, and although we were a good distance from each other, I could hear her.

"So sorry Kurosaki-kun," she had said. "Please forgive me," she had said.

Why? Why had she apologized? Why couldn't things just end already?! I didn't want to fight. I had just wanted everything to stop.

Because it had been painful. Much more painful to hear those words, hear her cries than any wound I had. Even now, my heart gives a painful constriction as I remember.

And that was when Renji had lifted me up. He had wanted me to fight, but I couldn't. Physically, I was done. I couldn't do anything before I even began fighting. What chance did I have? And mentality and emotionally, I had been completely finished. My determination had been snuffed out.

Then everything had started to fall in place. Tsukishima and Ginjou had shown up, and my blade had been fixed. I had given up but not anymore. I had the chance to win again. My resolve was back, but the damage had been done.

When Renji and I left to Soul Society, I couldn't even look at her.

After the defeat of Yhwach, I had not been able to celebrate it fully. Not until I saw her, and when I did, when I had seen that she was alive and safe, I could breathe. I could relax, but relaxation and celebration passed just as quickly as it came. She was still bruised, still beaten, still looking at me like…like I was a hero.

As I look up at my ceiling, I feel that guilt Renji just mentioned. I know it well. It was in that moment that I saw her after the battle when I felt the full force of this all-consuming guilt.

I had, in that moment of absolute despondency, I had willed for the end because I had been so selfish to think that it would be better. It would be better for me and me alone if Yhwach had succeeded when I lost the will to fight, and that is where the guilt stems from. Because how could I have allowed myself to have those thoughts? How could I, in good conscious, ever, ever, not feel guilty?

But I have repressed it. I thought I left it back in Soul Society because when I look at her now, I don't feel those same feelings. It's different. Something else is driving me to be close to her. But maybe it is guilt. Maybe it is.

I roll over and dig my face into my pillow. Her scent is still there, and I breathe it in.

Guilt would explain why I feel the compulsion to protect her. I had felt the same when we returned from Hueco Mundo. I couldn't protect her on my own, I had lost my powers, but I had insisted to Chad and Ishida that they check on her through her reiatsu every so often. I had been brazen enough when she had gotten a phone. I had entered my number in hers without asking. It had been a way for me to contact her, to be connected to her, and that had been my way to reassure myself that she was here. That she was fine.

Yes, the guilt then had been very clear. She had been kidnapped, and I couldn't do anything about it. I was sure that that would never happen again. I would make sure that would never happen again.

So guilt could be the force in why I've been seeking her company, but it doesn't explain everything. But the more I think about it, the more confused I become. So I fall asleep, breathing her scent in and thinking about why I'm hanging around her, hanging on every word she says, and just plainly...hanging on her.


	17. Magnetic Pull

A/N: Hello! I know the last chapter disappointed quite a few of you, but hey, the details there (even if the prose might have been hard to follow) are really important. It'll affect this chapter, but it'll also affect Orihime (if you hadn't caught what I mean, chapter 10 gives a small hint. Her own story will touch more on it, though). Anyways, this chapter…I like it. Not love it (close), but it'll give me enough breathing room to see how I want to plan the following chapter. I hope you all keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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The next day, I learn that it's not guilt. When I look at her as she and Tatsuki come up to eat with us on the roof, it's not the painful, heart-wrenching guilt that I feel when my eyes find hers. I would like to say that it is because then I would know what I'm feeling, but it's not. No guilt. Just something else.

And when she smiles at me, a greeting passing her lips, I wonder how I could have ever mistaken my sudden closeness to her as the force guilt. No, the real force is just her.

She's always acted as a magnet. Her smile, her personality, everything about her just naturally drew people to her, and I guess I've just become powerless to her pull. I mean, it was bound to happen eventually, and maybe almost losing her and maybe the guilt, too, acted as a catalyst that weakened my resistance to her. Maybe I'm just more susceptible to her magnetic field.

Then again, it's not like I was completely immune to her natural attraction. She's someone that you can't forget when you see her, and even though I'm bad with names, when I first heard hers, I retained her name instantly. I couldn't forget it, couldn't not remember her face either. She was just…imprinted in my mind from the very beginning. So I guess I never really had any resistance to her or her pull from the start.

"Do…do I have something on my face, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Huh?" I can feel myself redden, and I can't blame it on the mid-January weather. It's embarrassment. It seems that while I figured out whether if it's guilt as to the real reason I'm by her side more and more or not, I've been staring at her.

"No. I…" I rack my brain. "I had something to tell you," I begin, and she perks up, "but I forgot." I can see that she visibly deflates, and I feel bad when a pout starts to form on her face.

"Oh. Well, if you remember…" she says quietly as she bites into a loaf of bread. Her eyes widen all of a sudden, and she swallows the food in her mouth quickly. "I felt Abarai-kun's spiritual pressure yesterday. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. He just came to deliver something…and bug me to death," I tell her, and she laughs.

"Did he mention when Rukia-san is coming back?"

I'm sure my eyebrows disappear behind my fringe. "'Rukia-san?'"

"Apparently Orihime and her became best friends recently," Tatsuki offhandedly answers.

Inoue drops her food on her lap and stretches her arms over Tatsuki's shoulders. "Don't be like that Tatsuki-chan!"

Tatsuki looks unfazed, but I can see her eyes pinch, and I think I've seen that look on her face so many years ago. A lifetime ago.

"You're jealous." I direct at my childhood friend. I know I'm right because she blushes, and while she glares at me, I see her hand search for something blindly. She grabs it and hurls it at my face.

I catch the phone inches away from my face.

"Am not!" She yells. "You-you pervert!"

I scoff. "I am not a pervert! If anyone's one, it's Keigo!"

"Just like a pervert to deflect," Ishida quips in behind his book.

I grind my teeth together in annoyance. I guess that's fair that everyone's ganging up on me.

Inoue laughs behind her hand.

"You, too, Inoue?" I accuse in disbelief. She presses her lips together, but it's obvious that she's holding back her laughter.

"Sorry, Kurosaki-kun…"

"Don't apologize, Inoue-san. He should be the one offering his apologies," Ishida continues.

My arm raises to hit him when I notice that I still have the phone Tatsuki threw in my hand. I bring it closer to my face and inspect it. It's always been difficult to tell if it's Tatsuki or Inoue's since they have matching cellphones.

My finger moves over to the power button to see who it belongs to, but before I can push it, something collides with me.

Now, this is the second time in less than a week that I've had my face pressed against her chest. Although, this is the first time in which I am conscious. Either way, the realization that I'm so close to her, with her scent and flesh surrounding most of my senses, has me gasping in embarrassment.

She pulls away quickly, her phone securely placed against her chest. "Heh. Sorry, Kurosaki-kun! I…"

"She has something dirty on her phone that she doesn't want you to see," Tatsuki finishes with a smirk.

Keigo's jaw drops. Mizuiro glances up from his phone. Ishida places a bookmark into his book. Chad…well he is just as stoic as ever.

Inoue flushes

"Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue jostles her friend on the shoulder while looking like she is going to pass out.

Everyone is quiet, and their attention is on Inoue.

"It's…it's not like that. Right, Tatsuki-chan?" Her voice is pleading, and Tatsuki looks like she relents to Inoue's pleas.

"Yeah. I'm just kidding. She has nothing incriminating on her phone," Tatsuki explains, and she clearly means for us to drop the subject, her glare kind of emphasizes her point, but we are suspicious. Honestly, I don't even know if anyone else is, but I know for a fact that I am. I mean, what does Inoue have on her phone that made her react so jumpy? And why does it seem that she's specifically hiding it from me?

I can feel a question building up in my throat, but her phone rings and saves her from my integration. She answers it with relief as if she knows that I wouldn't let the phone issue drop.

"Hello?" She listens. "Oh! You know me too well!" She giggles. "I did forget! But don't worry! We'll be there in a few minutes…Okay! Bye!"

"You're leaving?" Tatsuki asks.

Inoue nods. "I forgot that Ishida-kun and I have a meeting with the handicraft club." Ishida starts to pack up his things. "Since we're about to graduate, we have to decide what we are making and leaving for our underclassmen. Sort of a goodbye/legacy gift." She gathers her things and gives Tatsuki a hug before standing up. She individually says goodbye to everyone, and then she gets to me, and there's that force of hers acting up again, but instead of pulling me in, I just don't want her to leave. But I can't ask her to stay, so I tell her that I'd see her later.

She walks over to the door with Ishida following her, and they both reach for the door handle at the same time. Even from here, I see their hands touch, and it's only for a second, but the brief contact makes me uncomfortable. The feeling doesn't pass even after they pull their hands away and walk down the stairs.

"Wouldn't Orihime and Ishida make a cute couple?"

My head snaps toward Tatsuki.

"No way! Four-eyes and the princess?! You're crazy!" Keigo screams.

"I could see it," Mizuiro reasons.

"…" Chad takes a bite out of his sandwich.

"Just think about it: both are insanely smart, they have a lot in common, they are both good-looking, and most importantly, they are already friends. Just think about how _easy_ it would be to transition from friends to something more." Tatsuki says all of this while staring at me. I move eyes away from hers and pick at my food. "Theoretically, all he would have to do is just _realize_ his feelings and _confess_ to her. That's how _easy_ it is."

Ishida and Inoue? Could they be…? Could she like him?

I bark out a laugh. It's not him. He didn't fit the criteria. She clearly said that the guy she likes has someone else in his heart. It couldn't possibly be Ishida because, well, besides Inoue, he really didn't converse with any girls. She's basically the only girl Ishida really talked to, really looked at. No, I'm absolutely positive that he is not the one that Inoue likes.

It's kind of a relief.

While I make my deduction, I feel Tatsuki watching me and that makes me suspicious. She probably knows who Inoue likes. They tell each other things, so why would Tatsuki mention Ishida if she knows the truth? Unless…

My eyes narrow as I try to think through everything. Tatsuki wouldn't just blurt out who Inoue likes. It would be a verbal betrayal, which means that it is in fact true that Ishida is just a friend to Inoue and nothing more. But why bring up this whole hypothetical in the first place? What does Tatsuki have to gain by her question? And why is she eyeing me so intently?

Keigo goes on this tangent about how he should confess to Inoue if it's so easy, and while he talks, I start to get a headache.

I haven't thought this much since…well, I usually don't try to think. My fists always seem to do the thinking and talking for me, but no amount of fighting will figure out these questions or the questions I've been asking myself lately. I'm all alone with my head on this one.

How comforting.

Tatsuki sighs and stuffs rice into her mouth in a huff. It seems like she is dissatisfied with something all of a sudden.

At least she dropped the whole Ishida-Inoue question.

The rest of the lunch passes with Keigo being an idiot, Mizuiro conforming that he is an idiot, and Tatsuki offering a jab once in a while. Chad is strangely more subdued than he usually is.

We all get ready to head back to class. Chad hangs back, and I stop walking until it's just me and Chad on the roof.

"Something wrong?"

He goes over to the railing, and he looks out into the distance. I go over to his side.

I wait for him to speak, and when he finally does, he's quieter than normal.

"I'm going to Mexico."

"Huh?"

"After we graduate."

I can't even say anything. All of my responses, questions, words, they are all catching in my throat.

"I've been saving up money for a while, and I haven't visited abuelo's grave since I came to Japan, so I just thought this was the best time to go."

"You'll come back." It's not a question. I don't want it to be.

He shrugs his shoulders as if to tell me that he's not sure, and I'm pissed. So damn angry at him. So furious.

And hurt. So damn hurt.

"I wanted you to be the first to know."

"Thanks." I couldn't keep the sarcasm away. Couldn't hide my feelings. How could I? Chad is my best friend. We've known each other for such a long time. We protected each other's back. We fought together. Laughed together. And it hurts that he's leaving. That he's throwing away our friendship, our bond, so easily.

As if he can read my thoughts, he says, "You'll always be my best friend."

I keep silent.

"We'll be late for class." He heads down the stairs, and I follow him all the while keeping quiet.

We get to his classroom, and I spot Inoue inside. She waves us at energetically, but her hand droops down as does her smile as she looks at us. She stands up with hesitation.

"I'll tell everyone Thursday at lunch."

Inoue's forehead creases in worry, and my pain from hearing Chad's announcement increases. The bell rings, signaling me to go back to my class, and I mumble a goodbye to Chad while giving Inoue a small smile to try to reassure her.

But instead of going to class, I retreat back to the roof.

I throw my bag somewhere and run my hands throw my hair.

"Fuck!" I whisper as I lean against the door that leads to the roof.

I really am a fucking idiot! I've just realized that things are changing. That I shouldn't expect the future to be like it is now, so why do I feel so blindsided with Chad leaving? Have I taken Chad's presences for granted, too?

I have. Just like with Inoue, I had believed that they would stay in Karakura Town with me, and we would continue to live like we've been living. We would be together, but how can we do that if Chad leaves? We couldn't.

My chest hurts.

Shit! Is this what Inoue's feeling? No wonder she cried. It feels like a piece of me, a piece of me that had been firmly attached, is now precariously hanging on, and the piece swings like a pendulum, threatening to break off. And I know when it finally does, it will hurt a lot more.

Inoue must be in more pain than I am. Tatsuki has been like Inoue's everything for a long time. Tatsuki's been her friend, her protector, her teacher, her family, even her reason for smiling, and sure Inoue looks happy now, but how will she look when Chad tells her? That she'll be losing another person?

My jaw locks as my eyes squeeze close. Thursday will be a personal hell. I'll be losing Chad, and she'll lose her smile again.


	18. The One Who Sees

A/N: Midterms…they're the worst. I'm sorry for the long wait, especially since this chapter is a huge downer! Like seriously, why so much angst? This chapter might be confusing just because of the switch in tenses, so pay attention to the verbs! They'll guide you. And thanks so much for the kind messages! Anyways, I hope you all keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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She doesn't ask what's wrong when she runs to my side after school ends. She just smiles, and it's not forced nor is it exactly genuine. It's a smile that I've seen before, but it's only when we are halfway to her work that I figure it out. Her smile is not to show her joy; it's to show comfort. She doesn't even know what's wrong, yet she's trying to comfort me, and I know what she's doing when she carries the conversation despite my lack of responses. Just like her smile, she's trying to keep my mind away from whatever is bothering me by her ramblings.

She's done this before. This style of distraction and silent support. After the defeat of Aizen, when I lost my powers, she would give me that smile and fill the air with her words. She gave me space and time while I tried to deal with my loss, and maybe she had hoped that I would confide in her, but I couldn't. Not to anyone and especially not to her because she lost something too. I didn't know what, I still don't know, but she didn't…she didn't quite shine as brightly as she did before. Didn't laugh with the same carefree manner. Didn't imagine with the same creativity and naivety. That place took something from her.

She's more like herself prior to Hueco Mundo than she was then. Tatsuki had helped Inoue gain, maybe not all but most, of what she lost, but at the time, she was different. And I couldn't open up to her because I was apprehensive that if I did, if I found comfort and solace in it, I wouldn't be able to provide it for her. That I would just make everything worse for her, so we did what we are doing now: she talks, I listen, and we both suffer quietly to ourselves.

It'll be different this time, though. It must be because Tatsuki won't be there to piece back Inoue's smile to the brilliancy that it is now. Chad will crack Inoue even further, and when Tatsuki finally departs, Inoue will lose another piece of herself. Will Inoue be unrecognizable with how broken she becomes?

But this, this reluctance to share our pain with each other, this pattern of keeping our turmoil inner and close to our chest, it will end because I won't fail her again. I failed her then. I relied on Tatsuki, Chad, Ishida, and our other friends to fix her while I tried to nurse my own wounds to no avail. Now, I couldn't trust or rely on anybody. The ones who fought for her, protected her, made her smile, are the same ones who will be causing her so much pain, and I refuse to fall under the same category. I refuse to betray her in that way.

So I'll find a way to comfort her. I won't allow her to keep whatever she is feeling to herself. She'll need someone to listen to her, and I know I'll never take Tatsuki's place nor will I be as good as her, but I'll just _be_ there for her. I'll be like a crutch for Inoue: I'll take Tatsuki's spot until she returns, I'll be there to hold Inoue up when she feels like falling, and I'll try to lessen the pain. I couldn't protect her from it, the pain, but I'll try my damnedest to keep Inoue's lips up in a smile.

We arrive at her work. she invites me in, and I follow her inside. I sit at a table, and I'm pleased to see that she turns the television on. Even more so when she kneels on the ground rather than bending over to retrieve something for a customer. But it's when I see the disappointed looks and hear the frustrated groans that escape each pervert that a smirk spreads across my face. I successfully thwarted each perverse scheme they had.

She comes over to me and asks if I want anything, and I tell her that I can't stay. Ikumi-san leniency is sure to end, and I shouldn't test my luck. She nods in understanding while I grab my bag.

She sees me out of the store, but before I go, with my newly formed resolve, I turn towards her. I want to say something, but I can't find the right words. I can't tell her about my recent conviction without revealing that Chad would be leaving. That is something Chad would tell her personally, and it's not my place to share his news nor do I want it to be; I don't want to be the one who causes her to cry, and Chad's words would surely do just that.

She stares up at me as I try to just say something, and I finally decide to settle on the truth. A version of truth that may be vague and confusing at the moment but will hopefully offer her perspective and reassurance later.

"You can count on me."

My declaration does confuse her. Why wouldn't it? It's out of place with no context for her to rely on, and I can see her trying to think of what I mean. Her eyebrows creases in concertation until they smooth down as she smiles at me.

"I know," she says quietly. "And you can count on me."

I get a little embarrassed by her ferocious expression as she says this, and although I've always known that she had my back, hearing it aloud with her looking so intently at me has my cheeks burning.

"Well, duh," I lamely respond. My mind can't seem to work right when our gazes are locked in the way that they are.

She giggles at my intelligent remark, and I guess it's worth being embarrassed if it means that she would smile.

She's called back to work by one of her coworkers, and she seems reluctant to part from me, and I feel it too. But it must be because the air around us feels lighter. Like we both let go of something we've been clinging to, but she needs to go and so do I. I tell her I'll be back after our shifts are done, and we part.

I sigh as I head to work. I'm not in the mood to really do anything. If I'm honest with myself, I would rather go home, sink onto my bed, and glare at my ceiling, but that would give me ample time to think about Chad, which would only both anger and hurt me. Maybe working would keep my mind from thinking because I don't want to deal with my emotions. I would on Thursday when I could no longer avoid it. I just have to make it to Thursday.

And I do. I manage to keep my mind away from Chad due to the amount of odd jobs we have, and when I pick up Inoue from work, that pompous ass Kansuke distracts me with his insistent teasing of Inoue. And the walk to her apartment takes up all my attention as I recount to her about this weird task I had to do today.

I find myself doing a great job at avoiding the inevitable. I even actively choose to visit Urahara's shop at lunch on Wednesday just so that I wouldn't face Chad. It's not until Thursday that I'm forced to see him again, and when he finally joins us on the rooftop, those feelings of hurt, the ones that I've been hiding from, hits me again.

I can't look him the eye.

Instead, I look at Inoue and her carefree smile. She's trying to feed something to Tatsuki who is gently yet forcefully trying to push away Inoue's chopsticks away from her mouth. Keigo jumps up from his spot and offers to try some of Inoue's food, and he opens his own mouth, probably waiting for Inoue to feed it to him. Mizuiro shifts, and while his eyes are still glued to his phone, strikes a leg out, pushing Keigo forward. The idiot falls onto his face, and he complains that Mizuiro is so cold towards him, and she laughs alongside Tatsuki. And the atmosphere is so peaceful, so pleasant that I think maybe Chad changed his mind about telling everyone. That maybe he changed his mind about leaving. Maybe I've imagined the whole conversation in the first place because he looks normal. He doesn't make an attempt to say anything, and I am speedily lulled into a false sense of security.

Of course, all good things come to an end.

It's when we are all packing up our things when Chad clears his throat. Everyone stares at him, but my eyes stray towards her. She's standing up, and she has a small smile as she looks at him. Even from here, I can see that gleam in her eyes that she has when she's happy, and suddenly, it's too much. Just the thought that her happiness will be snuffed out has my lips parting to instruct Chad to stop. To just keep his words for later. But I'm too late.

I think I'm the only one who sees it. Sees her smile twitch as she tries to keep it in place. Sees when she fails at it and her smile quivers frantically until it crumbles. Sees how her eyes lose that gleam of happiness. Sees her eyes fill up with tears that threaten to escape. Sees her curling into herself as she struggles to keep herself from falling apart.

And I might be the only one who _sees_ it happening, but we all _hear_ it. Even though the school bell fills our ears, we can all hear her heart break.


	19. Source of My Worries

A/N: So tired~ I'm not even going to proofread this because I have an 8am class so…Start of a new month means new chapter! Yay! I love all the reviews I get! I'm one happy writer! I think next chapter or the following one will be…well it'll be something to remember (trying to be vague and not spoil anything). Anyways, please keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing.

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No one moves. No one speaks. I don't even think anyone breathes. It's only when she reacts that everyone is set into motion.

With her head down, she whispers, "We…we will be late." She clutches her things to her chest and sprints away from us as her hair cloaks her face from our eyes.

As if we need to see her expression to know what we would see.

No one runs after her, and my eyes shoot toward Tatsuki. "What the hell are you waiting for?!" My tone is harsh, and I know that it shouldn't be. I shouldn't be this angry, but I am. I should be understanding that we all must live our lives as we see fit, but I'm not. I'm irrational, and it keeps building as Tatsuki scowls and shifts her eyes away from me.

"She has to get used to it."

Used to it? Used to what? Used to the idea that Tatsuki won't be there to comfort her anymore? Used to the idea that people will leave her? Used to the idea of being…alone?

Fuck that.

I try to go after her, but a hand wraps around my wrist. I look up at Chad. He shakes his head at me, and I feel like he is trying to stop me from running to Inoue by the gesture, or maybe he is trying to silently communicate with me. But I don't want to interpret his nonverbal message or be deterred from going to her.

I fling my arm down, breaking contact between the two of us and continue on my way.

I find her too easily. Her reiatsu has become so familiar, so recognizable to me that no matter the distance, it feels like she's next to me. Like I can just reach out for her and I would be able to grab her. And really, that is all I want to do as I see her at her desk, staring blankly out the window. I want to just cross the space between us and comfort her because she's not crying. She's holding it in. She's putting up a wall, hiding behind a brave face, and pretending that everything is okay.

But it's not because she becomes dull. When she's happy, she is a force to be reckoned with. So overpowering that it's a struggle not to join her happiness in some kind of way. And now, she is an entirely different force. It's still powerful. I can feel it from here as I stand in the doorway to her classroom. I can feel the subdued, melancholic feelings rolling off her and affecting everything and everybody. It's like everything has darken. Like everybody knows something isn't right and have adjusted themselves accordingly to the somber mood.

"Inoue…" I mummer under my breath as I step towards her, my foot passing the threshold.

A hand grips my shoulder and pulls me back. I look over my shoulder.

"She needs time." Chad says.

"Why…Why are you guys acting like this is normal?!" I yell at him in a low voice, trying not to draw attention to us. "Look at her! She doesn't need time! She needs—" I stop myself short, unable to really pinpoint how I should end my own sentence.

I can feel his eyes burning into me behind his hair. He then nods like he just realized something. "I understand how you feel Ichigo, but you…we can't do anything. We just have to let her be sad."

"But…" My protest is met with resounding silence that tells me that I shouldn't even try to argue with him. My hands curl up at my sides in agitation.

At that moment, their sensei instructs Chad to take his seat and for me to go back to my class. I take one lingering glance at Inoue who seems so small and shrunken in her seat before I step back to allow Chad to enter the room.

"I'll walk Inoue to her work and home today," he announces with his back to me. I scowl, already taking a dislike to his proposal, but it's not a suggestion. It's a statement, and it feels like a statement, too, when he slides the door shut.

I can't barge in, so I go to my own classroom. Ishida doesn't look up from his notes, and I wonder if he is as affected as Inoue is. I should feel just as worried and concerned about him if that _were_ the case, but all of my thoughts are on her. Focused on her to the point that before I know it, class ends.

I stand up and exit the room. By now, I would've been close to the school gates to wait for Inoue, but my post has been forcefully taken by Chad, so I sluggishly walk to the entrance to retrieve my shoes. As I do so, something compels me to look out the window.

I see Inoue walking out of the school with slumped shoulders. She's staring at her feet as she walks. I pause and watch as she briefly glances up, and she looks at the gate. Her head moves to side to side, and I can't stop the gasp that escapes my lips.

She's looking for me. She's questioning to herself about where I am, and with no answers, her head snaps down, and she speeds up.

Did Chad not tell her about the changed plans? It's obvious that he didn't, and now she's going to think…she's going to assume that I abandoned her too.

My heart beats uncomfortably at that.

I'm about to pull the window open, so I can call her name, but I see her stop suddenly. She is stiff, and I look behind her to see Chad. She doesn't turn around to greet him. In fact, she steps forward like she is going to pretend that he is not there, but she can't ignore him when he catches up to her with his long strides.

They are next to each other when I see her head shake. I don't what is being said or what is happening, but I see Chad reach out and place a hand on her head. From here, I can see her looking at him for a second until her hand reaches for her face. It looks like she wiping her cheeks, and with a sickening feeling, I realize that she is crying.

I place my hand against the glass. I feel the strangest ache to make contact with her. In some kind of way, some kind of fashion, brief or lingering, the need is there. And the strangeness of it all increases as Chad gathers her in a hug.

It seems so easy for him to embrace her. Why does it seem so effortless for him? Is it an indication of the closeness of their relationship? What does that say about the relationship between Inoue and I? Hugging her like that…it seems like it would be difficult for me. Foreign and abnormal but not necessarily bad. Just different.

They finally part, and they stand still for a minute before walking out of my sight. Out of sight but not of my mind because I keep thinking about her tears and their hug and what it all means.

Bothered, I opt out of working and head home. On my way, I have to consistently direct myself that I should not go to the bakery. I have no reason to, and it would seem weird if I showed up, but it's a real battle between staying away and staying close.

When I arrive home, it's Yuzu who greets me instead of a flying kick. She tells me that dad is in the clinic taking care of some patients with Karin. I go to lend a hand, and it helps pass the time until dinner, and when dinner is done, I go up to my room to study and that passes the time too.

I'm in the middle of solving a derivative problem when I feel my phone vibrate. With a pen in my mouth, I answer the call without taking my eyes off my worksheet.

"What?" I mumble around my pen.

I hear a soft laugh over the phone, and my pen drops from my mouth as I sit up from my slouched position. "Inoue?"

A hum is her answer.

"I…I didn't check to see who was calling," I explain my rude behavior embarrassingly. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She quietly laughs again.

"Why are you whispering?" I ask with a whisper of my own.

"Oh…no reason."

"Inoue," I press again.

"Alright," she relents. "Well, you know when someone chokes you and then you finally pry their fingers off you and your throat is very sore and it hurts to breathe or use your voice?"

I jump up from my seat. "Choke? Who choked you?!" So much for whispering.

"…Maybe I should have phrased that better." She goes silent.

"Inoue!"

"I meant to say that my throat _feels_ like that," she rushes out. My foot taps in impatience. "Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun. No one choked me. Except for tears but that's different."

I collapse into my chair. "Don't do that, Inoue! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She giggles. "Don't laugh, either!" She stops for a second and then laughs. "Inoue!" I state a bit more firmly.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun." She doesn't sound apologetic with her hushed laughter. "It's just…I'm so happy that you are scolding me."

"Happy? About being scolded?" I question in disbelief.

"Yup."

I let out a mixture of a sigh and a chuckle.

"More than that though, I'm relieved that you sound like yourself," she continues. "I was worried that…well, I was just worried about you."

"You don't have to..." I start to say, but I'm reminded of my resolution from two days ago. We have to share our pain, and I guess I should start by sharing mine. "I'm okay. But you could say that I'm not handling Chad's news in the best way."

My words are honest, and it feels jarring to make myself vulnerable, but this needs to be done. I need to be able to express my hurt to her if I want her reciprocation.

"I don't think that there is a right way to handle it," she responds. "At least you didn't get snot on his t-shirt."

"I'd think he would prefer snot to a silent treatment."

"He understands that you need time to process everything, Kurosaki-kun. He holds no anger or harbor any hurt feelings about your actions," she explains. I guess they've been talking about me. I should be annoyed at that, but it sort of comforts me.

"I wish I could say the same. It's hard not to feel…"

"Betrayed? Hurt? Wronged?"

My eyes rise in surprise. "Yeah."

"When Tatsuki-chan told me that she would be leaving, I felt the same, and then I felt guilty for feeling like that, but then I decided that it was okay to let myself feel angry and sad. I think that after all we've been through with Tatsuki-chan and Sado-kun, we are allowed to feel how we feel! We owe it to ourselves!" Her voice cracks as it rises from a whisper to its normal state. "Also, wouldn't it be weird if we were just happy about them leaving? I mean, we _are_ only human…well, okay, I'm not exactly a _normal_ human, and you are part Shinigami and whatnot, so I guess we are not _exactly_ human, but we are _pretty_ close if you think about it in the grander scheme of things…"

This time I laugh. "You're right about you not being normal." I can hear her pout over the phone. "But I don't think any of us would be here if you _were_ normal so thanks for being…"

"Not normal," she finishes with humor laced in her strained voice. "You're welcome." I laugh at that. "You know, it feels kind of silly to be worrying about such mundane things given what we have faced, but at the same time, it feels kind of good to experience something so ordinary, so universal. Does that make sense?"

"Not at all," I quickly answer. "It makes a little, and I mean a little, bit of sense," I clarify.

"Score one for Orihime!" She and I chuckle softly until I stop.

"Do you still feel…?"

She understands my unfinished question. "I do."

"Then how can you smile?" I ask in wonder.

"One of my biggest regret was…was sending my brother off without a smile." She breathes in deeply. "Even though I was scared when he came back as a hollow, it gave me a chance to right that wrong. I got to say goodbye, and although it hurt, I got to smile while saying it. I'm determined to send Tatsuki-chan and Sado-kun off with a smile. It's the least I can do for them."

It takes me a moment to soak in all that she has said. "I don't think I've ever told you this, but you are one of the strongest people I have ever met." She stutters out a protest. "I'm serious."

"Wow. Two compliments," she comments. "And before you ask, I'm counting the 'not normal' as a compliment."

"As you should," I reply gravely, and she breaks out in loud laughter. I smile. "I guess I worried over you for nothing."

"You were worried about _me_?" Her voice squeaks.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm sorry for—"

I cut her off. "Don't apologize. If we weren't worried about each other then we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. Or any conversation for that matter."

"You're right! Worrying is only natural!" There is too much enthusiasm in her voice.

"Okay, now I'm kind of worried about how excited you are about it. Don't go out of your way to make me worry."

"Yes, sir, Kurosaki-kun! I wouldn't dare!" That brings me no comfort. "Then I should probably tell you that I won't be in school for the rest of the week so you don't worry about where I am."

There is an instant regret for not visiting her at her work earlier. "Why? Where are you going?"

"There is an opening to go a day earlier for the tour of Tatsuki-chan's college, and we couldn't pass it up even though it's spur of the moment."

"Oh." My face scrunches up. "Wait. Were you going to go without telling me?"

"Huh? No! Well, maybe? Sado-kun's supposed to tell you tomorrow, so you wouldn't wait for me afterschool."

"I'm glad you're telling me now."

"You're more of a worry-wart than I thought, Kurosaki-kun," she teases.

"I'm not!" I blush. "But, you know, stay close to Tatsuki, will ya?"

"I'll protect her with my life!"

I bump my head against the desk as she misunderstands that it is she who is the source of my worries, but I don't correct her. Even if I did, she would probably say the same thing. Even if I did, it wouldn't change anything. I would still be here worrying about her.

So I leave the misunderstanding as it is as I close my math book and lay on my bed. My eyes flutter down as I listen to her voice, which despite its stuffiness, is still somehow soothing. She talks about what she and Tatsuki will do over there, and I offer suggestions of my own or opinions about hers.

When we finally hang up, I feel better. I feel like I have some certainty, some clarity, some confidence to face tomorrow and the days that will follow, and it's because of the girl who I thought would crack, the girl who I thought would fall into pieces, the girl who is slowly, surely, and stubbornly piecing me back together, healing me like always.


	20. His Coin

A/N: I have a huge, major midterm, so this will be the last chapter until, umm, Wednesday? So there is not a lot of ichihime in this chapter, which is a drag, but some things needed to be aired out, so that is what this chapter is about. I hope this chapter alludes to how Chad's character could have developed to the Chad we see in the last chapter. The dash mark (-) indicates the beginning of a message. The next chapter, and please take my word for it, will be a whirlwind of…it'll just be a whirlwind. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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Even if she hadn't told me, I would have known. Because it's around five in the morning when I am jostled awake by a feeling that something's off, and it takes a moment of franticness to set in before I can begin the process of concluding that I should not be alarmed. It's just Inoue gradually leaving Karakura Town. However, even with that realization, I can't simply fall back to sleep. It's only when I sense Tatsuki's reiatsu, which I can only do by focusing on Inoue's first, that my body finally relaxes and succumbs to slumber.

That should be the end of my unease, but when I come down for breakfast, Yuzu takes one look at me, and she asks if anything is wrong. With her head tilted back and eyes closed, Karin states that my spiritual pressure is weird. Mizuiro comments that I seem more on edge than usual when we walk to school, and Keigo complains that my elbow greets his face with just a bit too much strength. The people who sit next to me in class seem to lean away from me, and before Ishida takes his own seat, he glares at me, and under his breath, he tells me to calm down.

I have no idea what he means. I am calm, but I try my best to do as he said. When I seem to gain control of myself, my classmates become better situated in their seats. They are no longer leaning away from me, and they don't seem as tense, and I can only assume that my reiatsu is acting up. That I'm releasing too much of it, and people are being affected by it. That shouldn't be happening, especially because of Urahara-san's pills, but nonetheless, I make an effort to reel it in before I can cause any problems.

If the fidgeting of my classmates and Ishida's constant and obnoxious throat-clearing are any indication about how well I'm suppressing it, I know I'm doing just a bang-up job. Still, I keep on trying while I speculate on the reason why my reiatsu seems to be causing such a disturbance today.

I reach no definite answer, and I put it out of my mind when I stand for lunch. It's time to face something I've been avoiding for the last couple of days: the confrontation between Chad and I.

He's already there on the roof, and I nod in acknowledgement, silently telling him that I'm done with my passive-aggressive behavior and that I'm ready to talk, but when it's time to actually say words, I find myself speechless. I don't know what I want to tell him. All I know is that I have to say something.

I don't get the chance to form any cohesive ideas because Keigo bursts through the door and flings himself toward Chad's direction. He goes on to hound Chad with questions as to why he's going to Mexico, when he decides to go, what he plans to do over there, and so on. I sit down and listen to each response Chad gives, growing more frustrated and sadden with each one.

I don't participate in the conversation. I just wait until the other guys file out before I call Chad back. I want to talk to him alone before I lose my nerve. I wouldn't want Inoue's effort to go to waste.

We both walk to the same spots we were in when he first told me, but this time, I lean against the railing and stare at the trees instead of him.

"I'm sorry."

We both apologize at the same time, and we both give a soft chuckle at it.

"Okay," I let out a deep breath, steeling myself. "So you know I'm not good with this heart-felt kind of crap, so just bear with me while I get all of this off my chest. And don't say anything until I'm done." He nods. "And I swear if you laugh…" I threaten slightly for good measure. He nods again.

It's becomes quiet. I rub my neck. "Geez, this is hard! I don't even know where to begin!" I breath in deeply. "Well, I'm sorry for avoiding you. I just couldn't…accept the fact that you were voluntarily going away. And I can kind of see now why you want to go, but I don't know," I shrug my shoulders. "It just doesn't seem like a good enough reason to leave, you know? I still don't understand why you can't find your future here. I don't understand why you just want to up and leave all of us behind." Leave me behind, I omit. "After all we've been through..." I stare at the ground, chiding myself for not being completely honest. "And I'm not even talking about the hollows or our powers or shit. I'm talking about before that." I can see from the corner of my eye him stiffening. "I thought that…that we vowed to protect each other, and how can I do that when you are so far away? And believe me, I'm well aware that you can take care of yourself, but…" I release a harsh breath. "You know what? Inoue said that I owed it to myself to feel what I feel." I stand straight and look at him head-on. "And fuck! I'm so mad at you! I actually feel like I want to hit you! I want to curse you out until I can't. I want to call you selfish and heartless and an asshole. I want to tell you that we aren't friends anymore. That you mean nothing to me. That I hate you." I can't see his eyes, but I know that I've hurt him. I've hurt the friendly giant who has been by my side since the eighth grade. "But I can't. Shit, I wouldn't be acting this way if all that were true. I wouldn't feel this hurt if I thought any of that." I run a hand through my hair as I go back to leaning against the railing. "It just sucks. When you leave, I won't just be losing a best friend. I will be losing a teammate, my right-hand man…my brother."

He doesn't respond, and I look at him. "You're not going to say anything?" I ask with a bit more bite, embarrassed with how vulnerable I am.

"I didn't know if you were done or not." His voice is as level and cool as it always is. I blush from either anger or embarrassment.

"I bare my soul out for you and that's the reaction I get?" I huff.

"Yeah."

"Ass."

Again, we both mutedly laugh.

"Some promises…they have to mature as we grow." I scowl as I take in his words. "We used to fight for each other. You made it so I wouldn't have to break the vow I made to my abuelo. But that was before things changed." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his coin. "Our opponents got stronger." Flashes of our opponents who later became allies and allies who briefly became opponents and opponents who will remain as enemies go through my mind. "What we wanted to protect grew." I picture our town and Soul Society. I look at his coin. "Who we wanted to protect expanded." Images of the people we care about fill my mind one-by-one. One face lingering just a bit longer than the others. "Somewhere along the way, I started to fight not just for you but for myself. For my own sake, and once I realized that, I knew I broke my vow…but at the same time, I hadn't. The vow wasn't just about not fighting for myself. It was about fighting for the right reasons. I learned the difference because of you, because of Inoue, and because of Ishida. In a way, I am still able to keep that old vow.

"We used to fight _for_ each other," he repeats. "But now, we fight _next_ to each other. We broke our own promise."

His words confuse the hell out of me while enlightening me all at the same time. A paradox.

"Things change, Ichigo." I frown. "Promises, places, people. But the one thing that will never change is our bond. No matter what."

I throw my head back and stare at the clear skies. "I feel like my speech was ten times better than yours."

He chortles, and I smirk.

"Not everyone can be so in touch with their emotions," he jokingly defends himself.

"Shut up."

He laughs as he takes out his phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Sending Inoue a message. She was worried about you and me."

I glance away from him. "Don't. I'll call her later."

"Oh?" I can hear the implications in his voice.

"What? If it weren't for her, I might still be avoiding you."

"So why can't _I_ tell her that we resolved everything?"

"Because." I reply indignantly

I can feel his eyes on my face, and I want to shove him just to get him to stop.

"Is that why your reiatsu was all over the place? Do you miss her?"

"N-no! She's only been gone for a few hours!" I shout at him. "I do _not_ miss her," I state with more forced conviction. "I just get worried. I mean, you know how she is. If trouble didn't already follow her around, she'd walk right into it."

He looks intently at me for a second before holding up his phone. "She seems fine."

And she does. On his phone is a picture of Inoue pressing her smiling lips against Tatsuki's cheek, who, at first glance, appears to dislike the affection Inoue showers her in by the way her face scrunches up but is secretly pleased by the slight curl of her lips.

They both look happy. _She_ looks so happy.

I'm relieved.

"She didn't send you anything?" He asks with a hint of surprise in his voice.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't think so." I pull out my phone, and I am caught off guard with how many notifications I am greeted with when I wake my screen. "Never mind. She did," I correct myself softly as I scroll to the first message she sent me.

-Tatsuki-chan and I are leaving! We'll be safe! We promise! Don't worry and have a fun day!

Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

-Oh, I hope Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun fix everything! Tatsuki-chan said that you two should fight! (ง •̀_•́)ง But don't listen to her! Anyways, good luck!

"Oi! Tatsuki wants us to fight," I offhandedly tell Chad.

He looks amused as he asks, "You wanna?"

I purse my lips. "Umm…maybe later?" We both chuckle, and I return to my phone.

-Wah! The school is so big! I can't beat it up! I have to concede! (oT-T)尸

I smirk. How is it that I can imagine her saying and doing everything that she writes? It's amazing. It's like she is right next to me. Like she is by my side talking to me, laughing with me, smiling at me.

Maybe Chad's right. Maybe I do miss her.

-The people are super nice here, too! We got some free food! Yay!

I wonder what she means, but before I think too long about it, my eyes are already reading the next message.

\- ┬┴┬┴┤(･~├┬┴┬┴ Tatsuki-chan is about to introduce me to her future instructor! I'm so nervous!

-ヽ(｀Д´)ノ (д´ノ) ヽ( )ノ (ヽ´△) ヽ(´△`)ﾉ

-Nooo! I tripped while greeting Tatsuki-chan's Sensei! He's unconscious! (シ_ _)シ

"I told you!" I direct at Chad. His head tilts. "She walks head-first into trouble." I give him my phone as he reads her message. He laughs and gives me my phone back.

-He's okay! And he said that he forgives me but… (｡•́︿•̀｡) I feel really bad.

And then the picture that she sent Chad fills my screen, and I feel that sense of relief again. Even more so when I get to her final message.

-Ah! I wish you all were here! Maybe next time! ╰( ^o^)╮

"Why are you smiling?"

"I'm not," I tell him. I'm about to turn my phone off when I see that I have some unread messages from Tatsuki.

-We just got here, and look! Orihime has already made some friends!

I click on the image, and I am _definitely_ not smiling. And the next picture makes me grimace. And the picture after that has my scowl deepening.

I push the call button.

"What?"

"Really? You're just going to let Inoue accept things from strangers?!" I growl at her.

"Well, why not? It's broad daylight. You think that they are going to slip something to her?"

"Does it matter? It's dangerous," I insist.

"Yeah, yeah," she dismisses.

Over the phone, I hear Inoue ask who's on the phone. "It's Ichigo." Tatsuki reveals, and Inoue tells Tatsuki to tell me hi for her. "Do it yourself."

"Oh! Hi, Kurosaki-kun!"

She sounds a hundred percent better than she sounded yesterday.

"Hey, Inoue. How are you?"

She laughs. "Great! Tatsuki-chan and I are having a blast!"

"That's good. I thought you still might be feeling guilty about knocking someone unconscious."

"You got my messages!" She sounds excited.

"I did. I would have gotten them sooner expect I had my phone on silent. Sorry about that."

"Ah, it's okay! I'm just glad you got them! And…I still feel a bit guilty, but Tatsuki-chan reassured me that I shouldn't hold it against myself. I mean, it could have happened to anyone, right?"

I shake my head. "Right."

"Although it does happen quite a lot to me…" she trails off, probably lost in thought.

"To you? Because of you," I mumble the correction with humor.

"Psh!" She retorts. I snicker. "You seem like you are in a good mood!"

"Do I?" I'm pretty sure if I asked anyone else earlier, they would have automatically disagreed.

"Uh-huh! Did something—"

"Orihime, it's our turn next!" I hear Tatsuki yell.

"Okay! Sorry, Kurosaki-kun, but I have to go. We are going to ride the ropeway to the top of Nantai Peak," she quickly explains.

"It's no problem. Be careful."

"Of course! Bye!"

"Bye." I hang up, realizing a second too late that I forgot to warn Inoue to not accept things, even if they are free, from people she doesn't know.

I guess I'll tell her later when I call her tonight because there is no way in hell that I can't tell her. Because she, in her naïve, rose-colored lenses, thinks that people are just being nice to her because they are genuinely nice. However, even in the pictures that Tatsuki had took and sent to me, it's painfully obvious that those people were just college men trying to capture Inoue's attention and affection through shameless flirting and free food.

"What's wrong?"

"Tatsuki." Before he can ask, I hand my phone over to him, letting him see the pictures she took of Inoue being surrounded by guys. "Can you believe she just stood there and let this happen?"

Chad rumbles out a hearty chuckle.

"What's so funny?" I can't even mask my irritation.

He clasps a hand on my shoulder. "You."

And then he has the audacity to laugh again.


	21. Borrowed Time

A/N: It's been so long! Well, I had writer's block. You see, I have all the content for this story already planned in my head, but I don't have _how_ I want to write it finalized which is why I don't update as often as I would like. What's even more frustrating is that I started writing the second chapter of Goodbye Lonely Days only to get, wait for it, writer's block! Oh, the irony! And so I started another one-shot to get my creative juices flowing, and it worked!

I know I promised a whirlwind for this chapter. Well, whirlwinds start out slow and then gradually build until it becomes visible and destructive, which is my excuse for this chapter because this is a two-parter! I debated for a while if I should try to just finish the second part and add it to this half, but that would take me even longer, and I think I've made you all wait long enough. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing! And thank you all for the lovely reviews and love for What They Don't Know.

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It's…uncomfortable. I didn't think it would be, it really shouldn't be, but all through the weekend, it's uncomfortable. No matter what I do, from hanging with the guys to helping the old man at the clinic to acting as a goalie for Karin and her friends, I can't seem to rid myself of the unpleasantness that seems reluctant to leave me alone, and I…I can't seem to stop missing her.

It's not like this is the first time she and I have been apart. We have been worlds apart at times, so why is this affecting me so much? I mean, in the past, with an impending battle to focus on, I really never used to think about my family or friends. I could be separated from them for an infinite amount of time and never taken the time to miss them because I was solely thinking of fighting. I just thought of training to get stronger because if I wasn't strong enough, I would lose, and if I lost, I would have failed all the people who counted on me, and if I failed, the people who I sought to protect wouldn't _be_ there for me to miss.

But now, there is no training to complete, no lives to save, no enemies to defeat. There are no distractions. Nothing. And I miss her. Her more than Tatsuki, which is weird in itself because I should miss them both the same, but I don't. What's more weird is that I usually don't even see Inoue on the weekend unless she comes by to drop off bread from her work or we hangout as a group, but this time apart feels different. And maybe it's because she's not in Karakura, or maybe it's because she's so far away. Whatever it is, I feel a bit insane with all the uneasiness that's eating me up inside.

The only thing that makes me feel a little better, the only thing that makes everything bearable is her updates. Through the weekend, she sends me messages about what she and Tatsuki are doing, and this relieves some part of me, but it's the phone calls at the end of the day that really puts me at ease. Hearing her voice, knowing that she's okay and happy, it's enough to momentarily release the tension in my body. Although as soon as she hangs up, the tension returns just as strongly.

So when it's Monday morning, I wake up earlier than normal, and I send Mizuiro a text, saying that he can go to school without me. Then, once I'm ready, I race to school and wait at the entrance. Waiting and waiting for…

"Ah! Morning, Kurosaki-kun! What are you doing out here?"

In the second that I see her, the strain I've felt in the last three days disappears.

"Nothing. I just wanted some fresh air." I couldn't admit out loud that I was waiting for her.

She accepts my lie with that wide smile of hers, and she leaves Tatsuki's side to run up to me, and although she stops in front of me, her reiatsu hits me head-on, and it wraps around me, and it's comforting. I am finally comforted and comfortable.

"Hey, Ichigo! Are you waiting out here for us? That's new," Tatsuki comments with a smirk.

I roll my eyes. "In your dreams."

"As if I would dream about you." She retorts, and we glare at each other until Inoue breaks out in laughter, and Tatsuki and I look at her with curiosity.

"It's so good to be home!" She grins at us as she latches on to Tatsuki's arm. And then she does something she hasn't done before: she hooks her other free arm around mine, and she starts pulling Tatsuki and I toward the school. It's only her grip on me that keeps me falling over because this is new. Her initiating contact with me is new and surprising, but what is more surprising is that it is welcomed. I don't feel the need to pull my arm away or create distance between her and me. In fact, I can feel myself leaning just a little more into her grasp, and it's not because I'm pervert. Though my arm is pressed against her chest, the real reason why I inch closer to her is because she is warm, and I have missed her warmth. And I think I can safely or maybe presumptuously assume that by the abrupt contact that she missed me too

As she pulls us, she talks about how she thinks she might start learning how to drive so she can visit Tatsuki faster and more frequently. Tatsuki disagrees immediately, saying that that might not be the best idea considering how Inoue tends to zone out. Inoue pouts and looks up at me, asking what I think, and I take one look at her, taking in how her eyes are shining with happiness and how her cheeks are pink before glancing away. I quickly mumble that I agree with Tatsuki, and she gasps in mock hurt, and she squeezes my arm to her a little more, and I can feel my own cheeks pinken.

And then, all too soon, she lets me go so I can go to my locker to change my shoes, and she tells me that she'll see me after school as she tugs Tatsuki to her own locker, but before they disappear behind a row, I see Inoue cup her hand around her mouth and whisper in Tatsuki's ear. What she whispers, I have no clue, but what I do know is that I wasn't ready for Inoue to let go. I wasn't ready to part from her.

The admission doesn't shock me. I have resigned myself to the fact that I may have grown overprotective of Inoue, and in doing so, the want to be by her side to better protect her has grown. More than that, I have resigned myself to the fact that these are excuses, and I'm fine with them if the excuses I make for myself allow me to be next to her.

Besides, excuses were easier to deal with than the elusive truth that seems to evade me each time I tried to move past the conclusions that I like spending time with her and that I miss her when she's gone and that my mood is better when she's around.

Speaking of my mood, it seems that I've been more in a foul one than I originally thought because I keep hearing comments from Keigo and Mizuiro during lunch. Even Ishida mentions something along the lines of how he's glad that whatever stick I had up my ass is gone because my wild spiritual pressure was starting to get annoying. Apparently my lack of self-control caused for more hollows to have gathered. I counter that at least the stick was my excuse for being annoying so what's his, and that had made him blush in anger and for me to grin at my wit.

Yes, today is really an improvement compared to the weekend, and it keeps getting better as school ends, and she skips to my side.

She doesn't repeat her action from earlier, and it's easy to recognize that I'm a little disappointed, but it's easy to dismiss it because of her closeness. It's easy to pretend that I never felt it in the first place. It's all too easy to get sucked up in the conversation we have, in the warmth that she exudes, in the smiles she gives me. Too easy to lose myself in the world that her joy creates.

And this easiness continues until Thursday afternoon when it ends abruptly. She tells me that I have the day off from walking her, and she makes it sound like it's a chore, like it's bothersome for me. I couldn't keep the frown from forming when I tell her that I don't mind, but she brushes it off with a good-natured grin. Before I can insist, Tatsuki announces that she will be walking Inoue to work and to her apartment for the next two days. I look at Inoue in question because she hadn't mentioned Friday, but she's not meeting my eyes. I can't even protest; they are already walking away from me.

My mood drastically becomes shit because it sounds awfully like she is avoiding me, and the suspicion that she might be grows as she makes her presence scarce, which means that there are no new texts, no calls, no random drop-by to tell me good morning on Friday, nothing. I get to the point of maximum frustration that on Friday night, I look up on my computer to try to find some kind of explanation at her recent avoidance, and no matter how I word it, the suggestions I get are all about romance in some kind of way. None of it makes sense because it doesn't pertain to what Inoue is doing, and I shut my laptop in annoyance. Of course, my dad barges into my room at that exact moment I snap the lid down, and he takes one look at my now closed laptop, and he gets this sleazy smirk on his face, and he backs up out of my room, closing my door and yelling, loudly, that he's proud of me and that I shouldn't be ashamed because it's only natural for boys my age to be curious of the feminine form or the masculine form because, hey, he's not judging and that I should enjoy and express my youth in that kind of _physical_ way.

I swear I could kill him except I'm too embarrassed to leave my room.

So instead of hunting him down, I lie in my bed, thinking in an endless circle about why she is avoiding me, thinking about my own actions because it had to be my fault, and thinking of what I could do to fix whatever problem she and I have. But that's the thing with circles: you just go around and around until you're dizzy, until you reach the conclusion that there is no conclusion, and I'm so thoroughly convinced that she won't make it to Karin's game despite her assurance that she wouldn't miss it, and I'm tired of thinking, so I fall asleep in a terrible mood.

It's my expectation that when I wake, I will still be upset and confused. However, I am woken up with the feeling of calmness and peacefulness. It's so familiar, so reassuring that I'm almost soothed back to sleep. But then I remember what can cause this feeling, who can cause this feeling.

My eyes lazily open to see Inoue's Soten Kisshun over my body. I move my head to the right, and I spot Inoue leaning against my window, looking outside.

"Inoue?"

She jerks like I surprised her, and she turns around to face me, and I'm blaming the sleepiness on the next thoughts I have about her.

She's beautiful. More beautiful than she has ever been, and I don't know if it's because of the white sweater-like dress she's wearing, or if it's because her hair is up in a soft-bun with her bangs framing her face, or if it's because of the blush that lightens her features, or if it's just the combination of everything, but she is almost painfully gorgeous.

I sit up, now fully awake and alert because thoughts like those tend to have that kind of effect, and her shield breaks, and her spirits return to her hair pins.

"What-what are you doing here, Inoue?" I scowl at my stutter.

"I, well, I'm sorry for the intrusion, Kurosaki-kun! But, umm, Kurosaki-san told me that you might have hurt your wrists last night, and he asked if I could come up and heal them for you."

My face is on fire at her words. "That-that son-of-a-bi—" I cut myself off, remembering that she's in front of me. "Did-did he say anything else?" I ask her hesitantly. If that bastard told her anything perverted, if he spouted out what he thought I was doing last night, I would kill him! And then proceed to die of humiliation.

She shakes her head, and I breathe out a breath of relief. At least the old man had some tact.

"Was there something he should have told me?"

"No! I mean, not really." I have to tell myself to calm down. Silence breaks out. "I thought…you might not show up today."

Her head tilts in confusion, which causes her collarbone to be even more exposed. "I wouldn't miss Karin-chan's match for anything!" She states with a smile. She then looks down and starts pulling at her dress which falls just above mid-thigh, just slightly above her thigh-high, white stockings. I force my eyes up, and I catch her expression which almost makes me avert my eyes because she's biting her bottom lip, and her cheeks are flushing red, and her eyelashes are lowered as she looks at me. "Plus, I have…I have something to tell you."

My eyebrows scrunch up. Her words…they sound familiar. When have I heard them before?

 _I'm going to tell you something, Kurosaki-kun. Not now but soon. And I hope, no matter what, that we will still be friends._

She's going to tell me today. She's going to tell me who she likes. Tell me who has her heart. Tell me who the person is, the person who is going to ruin what Inoue and I have.

It's hard to breathe.

"But! But I'll tell you later! After all, we have a game to get to!"

She scurries out of my room, and my eyes trail down to see the visible skin that her short dress and stockings fail to cover.

Now it's hard to breathe for another reason altogether.

I shake my head. Now is not the time for looking! Now is the time to panic. I know she said soon, but it's too soon! I'm not ready for this to end. Though, honestly, would I have ever been ready to willingly let her go?

Of course not.

But I can't stop her. Ready or not, she's going to tell me today. So that means today will be…will be the last day I have her to myself.

I rush in getting dressed. If today is really the end, then I wouldn't waste a second. Wouldn't waste one second I had with her.

I literally fly down to stairs, anxious to get to her side, but when I hear her voice from the kitchen, I pause to eavesdrop.

In a hushed voice, I hear Inoue say, "Really! I'm going to do it today!"

"With the way you look right now, I can guarantee that he won't be saying no," Karin declares.

Inoue laughs. "Oh, that's very sweet, Karin-chan, but he doesn't really notice looks."

That might be the only redeeming quality the guy she likes has.

"Then why did you dress-up today?" Yuzu inquires sweetly.

"That was Tatsuki-chan's idea. She said that if I was going to confess, I might as well go all out!"

"Well, I think you look very pretty!" Yuzu states.

Pretty? I almost scoff. The word did not even come close to describing how she looked.

"Thank you, but…umm, don't you think it's a little short? Tatsuki-chan picked it out for me."

"I think it's fine," Karin says. "What do you think, Ichi-nii?

I jump, and I wonder how she knew I was hiding and eavesdropping, but it's not really important. As long as she didn't tell Inoue that I was listening to the better part of their conversation, it would be fine.

"I _do_ think it's a little short," I answer, and she blushes again, and I am reminded of when Chad had asked me what I thought of Inoue's outfit before we ascended to the Soul King's Palace. Yoruichi-san had scolded me about what I had said to Inoue. "But you look good," I correct myself.

The white of her dress really brings out the red in her cheeks. "Oh, thank you, Kurosaki-kun."

"Why are you thanking my good-for-nothing son, Orihime-chan?"

The sight of him reminds me of what he did this morning, and before I know it, I punch him in the gut.

"So mean~" he whines as he rubs his stomach. "Just for that, you got to stay with me and help me in the clinic." I start to tell him no. "All kidding aside, I do need your help. For some reason, there have been more accidents than usual."

"Do you need me to stay, too, Kurosaki-san?" Inoue offers.

He waves her off. "You go have fun at the game. We'll catch up when we can."

She looks reluctant to go, and I'm reluctant to let her go, but Yuzu grabs her hand to lead her out of the house. Inoue barely has time to wave at me before the door closes.

I follow dad, and I help him as quick as I can. I want to get back to her because I only had so much time with her. I'm on borrowed time, and I need to see her.

But as the seconds tick by, I start to feel more unnerved. I glance over to dad to see him focusing on dressing a wound. If he feels the same way I do, he doesn't show it, but I feel it enough for the both of us. My skin is starting to prickle, and my heart is starting to race. My breath is picking up, and I don't know why.

Until I do. In a flash, I sense an influx of hollows all over town. I can't tell how many there are, but by how still dad becomes, it's more than I can imagine.

Finding Inoue's reiatsu is not difficult to do. It stands out despite the spiritual energy of the hollows that surrounds her.

I turn to leave, but the sound of a woman's scream stops me in my tracks. She's holding a boy in her arms.

"Please help my son! One second he was just standing there and then he was flung to the ground! I think he needs stiches!"

Another patient enters the clinic, but this time it's a man holding his arm. I can see from here that it's broken. And more people keep entering, and I know I have to stay, to help, but I can't.

"Go." Dad doesn't even look at me as he leaves to help the boy who is bleeding from his forehead.

"But," I try to say.

"Go!" He orders, and I am out of the house.

I would have been useless to him anyways. Every part of me is focused on getting to the soccer field, and I'm running as fast as I can, but it's not fast enough. I pat my pockets as I run, searching for my badge that I know I don't have. It's been confiscated for the month. I just had one more week to go until I gained access to my powers again. One week, but I can't wait that long. But there is nothing I can do about that. All I can do is push myself faster and just hope that I'm not too late.

But I am. The field comes into sight, and I see so many hollows, too many of them trying to attack the kids who aren't aware of the true danger they are in. But she's trying her best to defeat them. Her fighting spirit is flying in the air, cutting through the weaker hollows, and her shield is moving from person to person, blocking any attacks that she can, and for when her shield needs to stay in place to stop repeating attacks, she physically grabs some kids out of harm's way.

But they are overpowering her just by sheer number, and she can't protect everyone. She's already healing the ones who she couldn't save, and she's trying, desperately, but it's not enough. There are just too many.

I'm almost there. Just half a field away from her when it really becomes all too much for her. When there is not enough time for her to attack or block the hollow who is heading straight for Yuzu who can't see the monster's claw up and ready to strike, who can't hear Karin yelling for her to move. And Inoue does the only thing she can do: she jumps in front of her.


	22. Borrowed Time in the Freezing Rain

A/N: So here are my reasons (excuses) for the long delay: I had exams to take this week, which didn't really hinder my writing. The real reason why it took me so long is because I suck! Suck! Absolutely suck at writing fantastical/science material. So why did I write it into my story? Because I had to in order to keep up the authenticity, so sorry if there is confusion or if it doesn't make any sense. My bad. The only redeeming quality in this chapter are my uses of symbolism and metaphors, so keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

* * *

Denial. It's a beautiful concept. And it's so easy. So much easier than the truth. So much easier to accept than reality. So much better to see with unknowing eyes at the scene that's playing out. So damn better to pretend that she's fine, that she's having fun cheering on Karin, that she's stands smiling with Yuzu by her side.

But she's not fine. Far from it because she's bleeding. She's bleeding and the dress she is wearing is transforming from white to red. Changing so rapidly. And Yuzu is crying as she holds Inoue up, and Karin is running towards them. And that hollow, that fucking hollow is moving in closer, moving in to attack her, to hurt her again, to try to end her.

The thought alone has something in me breaking, and it hurts. So fucking much. And the yell that rips from my throat hurts, too, and when she tiredly lifts her head up so our eyes can meet briefly, a new wave of pain washes over me. Because in her eyes is an apology. A "I'm sorry" lingering in her half-lidded eyes. Even worse, even more painful, there is a goodbye hiding beneath it all.

I don't think. I just react. I have no powers, but it doesn't stop me from running forward and kicking the hollow. It flies away a little from them, but it recovers quickly and starts charging for me. And my first instinct is to dodge, but I ignore it. I can't dodge with them being so close, so I brace myself instead. I'm going to take the hit and then rip that mask off with my bare hands, with my teeth if I must. Anything to save her.

The strike never lands.

Jinta hits the hollow with his kanabō. If he kills it, I don't know. Because one second I'm just standing there seeing him attack and then in the next, I'm by her side.

She's breathing too heavily. Her bleeding isn't stopping either. And she's in so much obvious pain, but when she sees me, she tries to smile at me, tries to reassure me that everything is alright.

Yuzu looks up at me, tears streaming down her face as she whispers, "Onii-chan."

I turn my back to them and bend down while I carefully grab Inoue's arm and place it around my shoulder. "Help her onto my back, Yuzu."

I don't see them as they do as I say, but I hear the struggle. I hear Inoue gasp in pain at the movement, and I hear Yuzu sobbing, and I hear Inoue say that she's okay. And I hear my own insides clench.

Her other arm wraps around my neck weakly, and her front presses against my back.

"I'm sorry," I mumble as I hoist her up, knowing that I would hurt her, and I'm right. I hear a small whimper come out from her despite her trying to smother it. "I'm sorry," I repeat again as I lean forward, making her rely on my back more because her grip is too loose. She'll fall off if I don't support her. "I'm sorry," I tell her as I break into a sprint, glancing back just enough to yell at Jinta and Ururu to take care of everyone, just long enough to see that despite Inoue's weakening reiatsu, her Sōten Kisshun is still at work, still trying to heal those who she couldn't save.

She is still trying to save everyone else instead of herself.

I know that each stride I make causes her pain, but I can't slow down. I can't because her breathing is becoming more shallow, and my arms that are holding her legs are becoming wet with her blood, and her spiritual pressure is diminishing quicker and quicker, and her grip around my waist and my neck are starting to get more slack, and I can feel her letting go. I can feel her slipping.

I try to run faster.

"I'm heavy, aren't I ?" She asks as she pants. Her voice is weak, like it's too much energy to speak, and yet, she's trying to make jokes, trying to make this okay, and it's not. It's not! And I want to tell her to stop because it's painful, but my tongue feels heavy in my mouth. It feels like the air is disappearing, and everything is becoming hot. Scorching and painful. Unbearable.

I can feel her lay her cheek on my shoulder, and her breath puffs out onto my neck. It's unsteady.

"I'm sor—" she tries to say.

"Don't." I couldn't stand to hear her utter those words because this is not her fault. This is mine. Even though I promised to protect her, I keep failing. I keep letting her down. I keep letting her get hurt.

All of a sudden, I feel the familiar warmth of her Sōten Kisshun, and I slow down. She'll be alright. Everything will be alright. But I hear her shield shattering, and I move my head to look over my shoulder, and I see her Sōten Kisshun spread over her again only to break the next second. It appears again, and then breaks. Appears and breaks. Over and over again until the two fairies disappear into her clips.

"Too weak," she tries to explain, and I go back to running as my chest constricts in pain.

She's used too much of her reiatsu that she doesn't have the strength to heal herself. She chose strangers to save over herself and now…now…

"Fuck!" The word leaves my mouth, and it's funny how such a harsh word can sound so pitiful and pathetic and broken. And it's funny how I had earlier feared losing her to the person she loves. I would rather lose her in that way than to lose her in any other way.

She laughs lightly. "Kurosaki-kun just curs—"

She doesn't finish her sentence. Her body becomes completely limp on my back. And her breathing on my neck is almost nonexistent. And I can barely feel her spiritual pressure anymore.

I thought I was on borrowed time with her. Could I have been wrong? Is she the one on borrowed time? Is she going to…?

Despair starts to grab ahold of me, and I start feeling like I can't see anything. Like it's just darkness in front of me, but I keep running. Blindly and desperately, I keep moving forward. Moving forward while repeating one word, one demand, one plead.

"Help. Help. Help." Like a broken record, I keep repeating it, hoping someone will answer back.

"Let her go. I got her," I hear, and I numbly, mindlessly, loosen my grip, and I feel her lifted from my back, but then the fear of losing the contact with her snaps my vision in place, and I catch Tessai's back as he carries Inoue inside. I try to follow them, but my body is shaking, trembling, and it's hard to move. Everything seems so difficult to do.

"She'll be fine, Kurosaki-san. Calm down."

I don't know how I crossed the distance so fast, but I have Urahara-san's shirt in my fist.

"Calm down!? This is your fault! If you just gave me back my badge, none of this would've happened! She wouldn't…she wouldn't!"

I don't see the curved handle of his cane strike my chest. I'm just flung across the room.

"Calm down," he warns, and I jump onto my feet and walk forward. "You're hurting her," he says, and I stop walking, stop breathing.

What does he mean? How am I…?

"Your body is releasing too much spiritual pressure. It's interfering with Tessai's Kaidō." He stares at me, his hat covering over one of his eyes. "If you do not calm down, she will not heal. If you do not calm down, you will destroy your own body."

I look down, trying to figure out what he means, but I shouldn't have looked. My arms are covered in red. I can't even see my skin. I can't see anything past her blood.

"Calm down!" He yells, but my focus doesn't waver from my arms because underneath the heaviness of her blood, I can feel that unbearable pain again. Like something is trying to escape from my body. Pushing against my skin, trying to tear it apart from the inside.

"What's going on?"

"Your reiryoku is negating the effects of my pills. You are now releasing spiritual pressure that surpass the limit in which your human body can handle. If you do not restrain yourself, your reiatsu will incinerate your body from the inside out."

As he explains, I try to reel in myself in, and I start to feel the immense physical pain fade to a dull throbbing.

"What's-what's happening to me?"

He looks away from me, and his hat hides both of his eyes now. He's hiding from me.

"What are you not telling me, Urahara-san?"

My question, accusation, is met with silence.

"At the end of your provisional month, you will not be allowed to use your powers," he states lowly.

"But!"

"At this rate, you will not be allowed to stay in the human world," he interrupts.

My anger of being denied my powers evaporates as I take in what he just said.

"Not allowed to stay?" My eyebrows knit in confusion. "I don't understand."

"The one month condition wasn't to determine if you could use your powers safely. It was to determine if you could remain in the human realm."

"Kyōraku-san didn't…" I begin.

"I convinced him to give you a month. A trial period to see if you were a threat or not to this world."

"I'm not a threat!"

"Spiritual pressure can be damaging to others, lethal even, and you're releasing amounts that are dangerous to normal humans. It was manageable before, but today, you became unhinged, and now, I'm afraid that you are, indeed, a threat."

"You said that you were researching different solutions."

"And I have, but the rate in which your reiryoku is increasing, I can't find a permanent stabilizer," he explains.

"Then I'll control myself more!"

He shakes his head. "You do not understand, Kurosaki-san. Strong emotions are causing your reiatsu to surge, and you cannot filter your emotions. You are a perpetual danger."

"I'll try better," I insist.

"It might be too late for that."

"What do you mean?"

"Under the orders of the Captain Commander, you are being closely surveillance. So far, I've been successful in blocking their signals and projecting normal images of Karakura, so that they remain unaware of the irregular activities occurring in this town, but Captain Kurotsuchi is quite eager to associate you with any irregularities. If you hadn't noticed, he sent Kuchiki-san and Abarai-san with bracelets. The bracelets were sensory cameras that not only record its surrounding, but they also measure different things like reiatsu, and the reports were sent to him. He knows that I've been interfering with his readings, but I've been successful in thwarting his methods…except for today. I wasn't expecting for the horde of hollows or your reaction. I hadn't adjusted the provisions I've made for this town. I'm afraid that Soul Society might now be aware of the gravity of your instability."

I grind my teeth in frustration. "I'm not leaving. This is my home. My life is here!"

"You will not have a choice."

That pain starts again, and I make myself take a deep breath. "They can't just—"

"They can, and they will. If having you in the human world creates an imbalance, they will take you from here without a thought. And you won't be able to fight them, Kurosaki-san, because if you do, if you are to use your powers, it is highly likely that your reiatsu will hurt the people you don't want to part from."

I couldn't fight them because I would end up hurting the people around me. I've seen what high levels of spiritual pressure can do to people with low reiatsu. I couldn't unleash my power without inflicting collateral damage, but if I don't fight, I can't stay.

"You shouldn't fault them for this, Kurosaki-san. They are only doing what they must to keep the peace."

"What should I do then!? Just sit here and wait for them to take me away?!"

"There is a possibility that they have not seen today's events or that they have and just decided to dismiss today as a ripple-effect of the war. For now, it is best that you try to be inconspicuous as you can possibly be."

He makes it sound so easy. How can I keep myself under control when my world is falling apart around me?

And if to make matters worse, Inoue's thready reiatsu plummets.

"You need to leave, Kurosaki-san. Being here will do nothing for you or for her. She will be alright. I promise you this."

I want to stay, but he's right. I'm barely keeping it together as it is, and I couldn't have myself being the one causing her pain. I had to leave.

But it's difficult. Difficult to not be by her side when she needs me…No. She doesn't need me. I'll only hurt her, but I need her. I need to be by her side because I'm terrified of what might happen if I'm not.

Urahara's looking at me, prompting me to leave, and I focus on that rather than on her, and I walk home. I try to keep my eyes forward. I can't look down. I can't see her blood anymore, or I'll just head straight to the store. I can't think about her in that state, either. I have to think of her as she normally is. I have to force myself to retreat to the first stage of grief: denial.

It gets harder to do when I'm greeted by a distressed Yuzu. She's asking about Inoue, and I try to say something to ease her worry, something to make her feel better, but I can't. I can't comfort her because I can't even comfort myself right now.

"How is Ori…" I hear dad start to ask as he enters the room, but he takes one look at me, and his question fades. I think he already knows the answer. "Come, Yuzu. Come help me and Karin."

He doesn't ask for my help. He knows I couldn't give it.

I drag myself to the bathroom and turn the water on, and I crumble to the floor as the water falls onto me. I don't even bother to take my clothes off. I won't be keeping them. I want no reminders of today. If I could, I would shed my own skin because the feel of her blood is still there. And I scrub and scrub and scrub, using my nails to peel it off, but all I'm left with is raw, pink skin and with the imprint of her on me. With the imprint of my failure.

I don't know how long I'm in there; I just know I'm cold. I don't even remember turning off the water, but I know it's off. I don't know how I end up in my room with different clothes, but I just know this is my room, my bed. I don't know how I'm surviving; I just know it's not easy.

And I'm torn. Torn between emotional fragility and stability. I can't feel, but I can't not feel. I shouldn't think of her, but she's all I can think of. And it's ridiculous that I still want my powers. Still want to wield my sword despite the consequence because if I have my Zanpakuto, I can protect her, and that's what I want, what I've always I wanted.

But protecting her means that I wouldn't be allowed to stay in this world. Protecting her means that I would have to say goodbye to my life here, my family, my friends, her…but could I live in this world knowing that she might sustain injuries like today? Live knowing that it's my fault?

I close my eyes, commanding myself to breathe. To take a deep breath. To inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale.

* * *

It's freezing. When my eyes snap open to see what's going on, I have to rub them because it's so dark that I think my eyes are still closed, but they are wide open. I squint, trying to make out what's around me, and after a second, I realize that it's my inner world.

"How," I whisper out loud.

"Surprised, King?"

I whirl around, trying to see him.

"I am you, and you are me. You can't escape yourself, Ichigo. Can't get rid of me so easily." He cackles, and I try to follow the sound. I hear something crunching under my shoes. "You suppressed me, though. I couldn't hear or see your world for a long time." I shiver as I try to find him. Why is it so damn cold and dark? And what is landing on my skin? "I could only see this world. It was bright. The sun shone all day, all night." I stop walking. "Few clouds, but it was always bright. Too bright, sometimes." Something keeps pelting me, but I can't see what it is. All I can tell is that it is cold and hard, and it keeps falling. "The sun's gone. Today it disappeared." I look up at the sky, and whatever's falling hits my face and body. "It's raining, King. Frozen rain." He's right. That's what keeps hitting me, but it's not frozen rain. It's freezing rain. It's hail. It's hailing. "Why?"

My throat constricts tightly as I think of today.

"Why!" He shouts, and I flinch at his voice. No manic humor or malicious confidence colors his voice. It's just pained and strained.

" _I hate rain…When you are sad, the rain comes down…I can't stand it. Can you understand? How horrible it is to get rained on when you are all alone in an empty world?"_

I remember those words distantly, and my chest hurts as I realize the answer to his question, as I understand the pain his voice.

"I-I let…She...she."

It's too dark to see anything, too cold to really move. I can do nothing when the blade pierces my stomach.

"You once gave me full control to save her! And now you let her get hurt?! If you won't protect her, I will!" He roars as he pushes the sword deeper into me, and despite the darkness, his yellow irises brightly flash. Flashes a warning, a threat, a promise.

* * *

I sit up, gasping for air. I'm sweating, and my hands are shaking as I wildly look around. Although I am back in my room, back in the human world, Zangetsu's words echo in my head. And it's getting louder and louder, a horrifying mantra that instills terror rather than peace.

I scramble out of my bed and then out of my room, out of my home, and I run. Run all way to Urahara's store, and I slide the door open.

He is still sitting there, though it's been hours since I've left, and his mouth opens, probably to tell me to calm down because my reiatsu is in a frenzy. Because I'm panicking. Because I'm in despair.

I step into his place, and I drop to my knees. "Please." I lean forward, my head down, my hands on my knees. "Please give me back my powers. Please!"

"Kurosaki-san…I can't."

"You don't understand! He'll take over if I can't protect her!"

"Who?" He asks.

"Zangetsu. He's still there. The hollow is still there. I don't know how. I thought Yhwach…It doesn't matter! He's going to come out if I don't find a way to protect her! So please, please help me!"

He doesn't look fazed by my pleas. In fact, he seems more curious than anything.

"I'm assuming 'her' refers to Inoue-san." He pauses. "I understand why you would want to protect her, but your hollow?"

"He wants to protect her," I admit, and it makes sense. If he is an extension of me, the dark side of my soul, it would only be natural that the want to protect her affects him too. But he once said that he was also the instinctual part of me, which means it's not a want but rather a need to protect her.

His eyes narrow. "I don't think that's true."

And then I remember back when I was trying to learn Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō. "He said that the things that I want to protect are not the things that he wants to protect. He wanted, wants, to protect me. Then why…?"

His eyes light up in understanding, and he opens his fan in the way that he does sometimes when he's hiding something.

"What?"

He shakes his head. "It's not important." He snaps his fan shut. "What's really important is that we have another problem. If the next time Inoue-san is in mortal danger, there is a chance that you might hollowfy in your human body. Your human form will not be able to withstand it. Also, the reiatsu you will release due to the hollowfication is bound to have dire repercussions. To prevent this, your solution is to gain back your powers, but if you do, your spiritual pressure will produce similar results to what we want to avoid. Not to mention that if you become a Shinigami again, you will most likely be exiled from the human world." He taps his chin with his fan in thought. "What a paradox."

"Why…why do you sound so happy?"

"Happy? No. Inspired," he clarifies as he reaches out to grab his tea. "Stop kneeling, Kurosaki-san. Everything will be fine."

"How?" I growl out in indignation.

"You don't have to be the one to necessarily protect her. She can protect herself." A protest builds in my throat. "She can. Today was unusual, to say the least, but she is quite capable of caring for herself. If you still doubt her, I will train her to improve her skills, and I will also keep a better watch on things."

"That's not good enough!"

"It will have to be." He's becomes solemn. "You forget, Kurosaki-san, that I, too, want her safe." He looks at the closed room which harbors Inoue.

Inoue…her spiritual pressure is steady but not strong. She's still weak, but she will be okay. She's okay. She's alive.

I stand up and walk over to the room. "Can I…"

"Tessai is still working," he warns to prepare me for what I might see. "But she is recovering," he adds. I nod as I begin to slide the door open softly. "All will be well, Kurosaki-san."

I close the door behind me, shutting out his words.


	23. Just Listen

A/N: Thank you all for indulging me in my attempts to write fantastical explanations. Please keep indulging me for a bit more on that. Last chapter was by far the hardest to write, but it is my favorite. This chapter is slowly heading for the top, though. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing! (Holiday's coming up, but I'll try to write when I have time.)

* * *

I've been watching her so intently that I know the exact moment she starts to wake up, but I don't get up from my spot. I don't want to crowd her, nor do I want to surprise her by my close presence because she needs to stay still to prevent any harmful movements. So I remain seated against the wall as I watch her eyes flutter open and close. I just sit and stare at her until her eyes find mine.

She breathes my name, and she starts to smile, but she looks at me, really looks at me despite the darkness of the room, and that smile retreats. Something she sees, something about my expression causes her to glance away.

What does she see?

"How are you feeling?" My question is low and quiet. It's already night, and I don't want to risk waking anyone up.

"I'm okay, Kurosaki-kun," she whispers while she avoids eye contact. Is she telling me the truth, or is she lying to me? From looks alone, it's a lie. Even if it's the moonlight playing tricks on me, she's more pale than she usually is, and there are dark bags beneath her eyes. And she looks so small as she lays on her side, looks so tiny underneath the blanket that covers her. "Really." She turns her head back so she can look me in the eyes. She's trying to make me believe her.

I don't.

But I nod because I shouldn't argue with her. She's in recovery, and her reiatsu is still weak, and I shouldn't press the issue more. I should just accept her lie. Accept it even though everything in me is violently protesting it.

The silence starts to grow more and more, encompassing the entire room, and it reminds me so much of the time when Yammy had hit her. Because like then, I had failed to protect her. And I want to apologize for it, but I know that's not what she wants to hear. Just like how she doesn't say those words to me because she knows that I don't want to hear them, either. But even when we keep those words to ourselves, it's in the air, and it's suffocating. This meaningful silence is suffocating.

"You know, Kurosaki-kun, it's…it's not your job to protect everyone." I can hear what she really wants to say, what she hints at. She wants me to know that it's not my job to protect _her._ And it's obvious what she's doing. She's doing what she did then: she's relieving me of the blame.

I tilt my head back to glare at ceiling. Glare because she doesn't understand. No one understands that it _is_ my job, my duty, my want and need to protect her. And _she_ probably won't ever understand it. Won't understand it because I'm not entirely sure that I understand it. Understand this phenomenon.

She also doesn't understand that I don't want to be blameless. I want to feel this guilt, feel this horrible because it's a reminder of my failure, an indicator of how much worse it will be if I fail to protect her in the future.

She doesn't understand, so I lie.

"I know."

"You don't." She gives a soft, watery chuckle, and I'm instantly by her side.

"What's wrong? Should I go get Tessai?" She shakes her head, making the tears on her cheeks more noticeable.

"I don't _want_ you to protect me," she whispers. My breath catches in my throat, and I ache. Not because I'm releasing too much reiatsu, but because her words hurt me. Hurt me so deeply.

"Why?" I hope the quietness of my voice masks the pain.

"Because it's lonely." Her voice breaks.

"Lonely? I don't…Inoue?" Her eyes close, and they don't open again. "Inoue!"

Tessai enters the room, and he ushers me out, saying that she needs rest and that I can see her tomorrow. And I would see her tomorrow because I have to make sure she's okay and to find out what she meant, but I don't get the chance to ask because when I show up to see her in the morning, Tatsuki and Chad are there. Apparently, they had stopped by to see Inoue yesterday when I wasn't there, but due to how severe her condition was, Urahara-san sent them home. Now they seem to be stuck to her side, which means that there isn't a moment when it's just Inoue and me.

She seems more than happy with the company, and she's even happier when Yuzu and Karin drop by to see her. She even seems happy with me. She's smiling at me the same, but I still want to know what she meant because it's hurting her. Something about me protecting her is hurting her, and though the thought that she doesn't want me to protect her is painful, I would rather it be me who's the one in pain.

Although I keep trying to find an opportunity to ask her, it seems everyone is getting in my way. Call me paranoid, but it really seems that I can't find a moment with her alone. It's like they are all conspiring against me, so that's why I decide to skip afternoon classes on Monday to go see her. I'm positive that no one will be in my way, but I'm so focused on seeing her that I don't notice that she's not even at Urahara's until I slide open the door to the shop.

"Where is she?"

Urahara-san laughs. "Well, hello to you, too." I scowl. "She decided to recuperate at her home. And before you get yourself worked up, she's mostly healed. She has some soreness, and she'll have faint scar lines—"

"Scars?!" I interrupt him.

"Until she replenishes her reiryoku, and then she can reject them herself."

"Oh."

He laughs as if my reactions amuse him, and I can feel my lip curl in annoyance.

"I'm assuming that you haven't told anyone what I've told you," he announces, all humor gone.

I scoff. "Of course not."

"Good. It seems the increased hollow activity is not only here but also in Soul Society. They had their own invasion around the same time. And though you reiatsu was documented as unsafe, the reports were…lost."

"Lost? What do you mean?"

"Lieutenant Akon seems to have taken a liking to disregarding protocol."

I grin. "So we're all good?"

"For now. We still have obstacles in our way, Kurosaki-san." I nod as I turn to leave. "Forgetful me almost let you leave without this," I hear him, and I look back in time to catch something: it's my badge.

"But you said…"

"It's not for that," he says. "I've modified it so that you will not be able to separate your soul from your body." I wait for him to continue. "I've also eliminated the surveillance that was installed in it."

"Then what is it for?"

"You once used this badge as a Fullbring. Well, I've made it so that it acts in the same way. The badge will absorb you reiatsu before it has a chance to exit your body, and the badge will transform into a simple sword. You'll be able to fight, but you will not have the powers you had when you had your Fullbring. Your attacks will be powerful, but your speed will remain the same as they are now, and thee badge itself does have limitations. Once your reiatsu comes close to reaching dangerous levels, you will be signaled to restrict yourself. If you do not…well, let's just not get to that point, okay?"

"So I can fight?" I don't know which I feel more: excitement or relief.

"Yes, you can. I do advise that if you can avoid fighting, you should. We shouldn't push our luck, but if you must fight, you now have a way to."

I sigh as the heaviness I've felt in my heart lightens a bit. "So that's what you meant when you said you were inspired?"

He nods. "I've been so focused on suppressing your reiryoku that I hadn't thought of a way to use your spiritual energy to our advantage. When you told me about your hollow, it gave me a different perspective. A different problem to solve."

I look down at my badge. "Can you still train Inoue?"

"Oh? I thought you would be satisfied with that."

I keep my head lowered. "I am, but she…she doesn't want me to protect her anymore. She said it makes her lonely."

It's his turn to sigh. "I was going to keep this to myself in the hopes that you would figure it out by yourself. I think Inoue-san would appreciate it more if you did, but…" I look up at him as he places his hat on the table. "Do you know why hollows devour souls?"

"Rukia told me that it's to fill the void that they have."

He nods. "That's right, but more than that, it is to survive. You could say hollows devour souls for power, and they want power to survive. Survival is priority. You said it yourself that Zangetsu wants to protect you and only you. A part of that desire stems from the hollow, does it not?" I think back, and his statement rings true. I remember Zangetsu saying that he would keep me alive because if I died so would he. "He wants you to survive so that he can survive."

"Then why would he threaten to come out if it'll kill me?" I ask in confusion.

His smile is wry. "You are missing the point, Kurosaki-san. You are asking the wrong question." He sighs again. "Why would your hollow threaten to come out to protect Inoue-san?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly.

"If hollows hold survival as the greatest importance, why does your hollow want to protect her?" I shrug my shoulders, still not getting what he's trying to tell me. "I don't think I've ever felt this sympathetic towards Inoue-san."

"Just spit it out already!"

He shakes his head. "I've lead you to the answer. All you have to do is embrace it." He puts his hat back on. "Weren't you on your way to see Inoue-san?"

I glare at him for a second before smoothing my eyebrows. "Thanks, Urahara-san." I hold out the badge. "This is really a comfort."

"You're welcome, but please make sure to keep your emotions under control. I've yet to find a solution for your reiryoku." I nod and start to leave. I stop when his voice calls me back. "Every part of you is screaming the answer, Kurosaki-san. You just need to listen. Just listen, Kurosaki-san, before it's too late." With a cheerier voice, he says for me to tell Inoue to take it easy.

When I start to walk towards Inoue's apartment, I think hard about his cryptic message. Matter of fact, why is everyone so cryptic lately?! How difficult is it to just say what you mean?! I feel that it takes more energy being subtle and ambiguous than to be straightforward. Why couldn't he just tell me what he meant?!

It's when I'm knocking on her door, feeling her soft reiatsu through the door, when she opens the door, smiling up at me, when I notice that she's looking so much better than before, when my body relaxes as she says my name that I realize he's right. Every part of me is screaming the answer. I think every part of me has _been_ screaming it for a while. All I needed to do was to just listen.  
.

.  
.

I'm listening now.


	24. Can't Help

There was a time in which I wondered. Wondered if I could keep up with the speed of the world without Rukia in it. If I could live without her, without the bond that we had.

I found that I could. From time to time, I did miss her though, but I found that I may have missed what she represented more than I actually missed her. Because she symbolized the life that I had, the life that I thought I wouldn't have again. She changed my world when she awakened my powers, but I didn't have that, so my world changed back. Back to me being powerless. And that…that feeling of being unable to protect the people I care about with my own strength was something I could barely live through. But for seventeen months, I found that I could keep up with the speed of the world.

I know I could live without a lot of things, without most people. I know that. But she…she is not one of them. I think that's why I've always reacted differently when Inoue is involved. Why I was so lost when she was kidnapped. Why I was so desperate to rescue her. Even if it was selfish of me, even if I would die like a dog, I needed to save her. Protect her at all cost and bring her back because if I didn't, I don't think I could have survived. I don't think I could live without her. And that's why my hollow would take over. Because in order to protect me, he would have to protect her.

"Umm…Kurosaki-kun? Do you want to come in?" She quietly asks.

"Huh?" I blink at her, a bit disorientated from my epiphany. "Yeah, if you don't mind."

She blushes as she shakes her head violently, and she swings the door open, almost hitting me. She apologizes and tries to bow, but she jerks back up and winces. I frown as I realize that she's still hurting.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun. Don't give me that look. I'm really okay!"

I nod, and I enter her apartment. I hear the door close behind me, and she tells me to take a seat and that she'll make some tea for us. I sit down, and I look at her as she begins to walk to the kitchen.

"Why is me protecting you lonely?"

She freezes mid-step, but then she continues on her way to the kitchen as if she didn't hear me. I watch as she fills the kettle with water and put it on the stove.

"I was content being lonely," she says, her back still facing me. "If it meant that I wouldn't get in everyone's way, I was prepared to be lonely, very lonely." I see her head tilt up. "I was prepared to be on the sidelines like always. But…with that Quincy boss, you," she stops and turns to look at me. And she gently smiles at me. "You finally let me fight alongside you. You let _me_ protect _you_." She looks down. "For the first time, at long last, I finally felt…" She sighs, and she moves to her cupboard to grab cups, "When we returned from Soul Society, I started to notice, started to feel, really, that we didn't have that distance between us from before. Like you weren't so far away." She rustles through her things, probably searching for tea. "You are always looking out for everybody, Kurosaki-kun. Always ready for the unexpected, and that's wonderful." She pours the boiling water into the cups. "That's you, and it's admirable. But when one of us gets hurt," she breathes, and I see her place the cups on a tray. She carefully walks over to me. "When I get hurt, you give me that look from earlier, the same look you gave me when Yammy had hit me, and I can feel you distance yourself from me. I can feel you walking away from me, and I can't do anything but stare at your back." She moves one of the cups in front of me, her hair blocking my view of her face. "I'd rather be unprotected and by your side than safe and separated." She sits next to me, and she shifts her head towards me, and I can see her expression. In her eyes, there is something that makes my inside squirm, that makes me feel warm and weird and different. "If protecting me means that you'll always be too far from me, then I don't…I don't want your protection."

I grab the tea she made for me. Just to give me something to look at while I process everything she has said, as I remember what Renji had said about how I can't protect her forever. "I'll always protect you, Inoue." I keep staring at the cup in my hands. "I'm sorry, but I can't help that." I place the glass down, and I rub my hands on my knees, nervous for some reason. "As long as I'm alive, I'll always try to keep you safe. Because…" My fingers dig into my knees. "Because you are important to me." I hesitatingly glance up at her, and I regret it. I regret it because it's embarrassing. Being this open to her, face-to-face, is so embarrassing, even more so because she's looking at me with so much understanding and acceptance and…something else. A look which I think I've seen before. Seen before but never at me, never directed at me, and I must be imagining it. Imagining it all.

I must be imagining how breathless I feel.

I clear my throat. "But I don't-I don't want you to feel lonely, so, you know, just tell me when I'm being an insensitive assho- jerk."

She laughs. "Kurosaki-kun is not a jerk! Or an as—"

"Hey!" I cut her off. "Don't you be cussing! Tatsuki will kill me if she finds out that I made you into a potty-mouth."

She pouts. "I'll have you know that I already know _all_ the bad words!" She sounds so proud of herself. "For instance, I know the word," she begins.

"Inoue!"

"Fine." She crosses her arms.

I scratch my cheek. "Well, don't look so disappointed about it."

She beams. "So I can curse?" She asks excitedly.

"Maybe next time," I relent. She cheers in victory, and I cover my smile by sipping on the tea. "But if Tatsuki hits me," I warn.

"I'll protect you! Promise!" And she grins, and I can't help but follow suit. Can't help the ease and relief she is providing for me. Can't help that she is making all the pain and distress and despair disappear. Can't help feeling closer to her than ever. Can't help wanting to be even _more_ close to her because of that pull of hers. And when she holds her cup to her lips and says, "After all, you are important to me, too," I can't help but remember the other thing that Renji had said, and I can't help but disagree with him because hearing this, hearing those words and internalizing them, I know I'm not standing in the way to my happiness because I think…I think I'm sitting next to a bit portion of it. Because being next to her, knowing that I'm the one causing her to smile, that I'm the one who she is smiling for, that I'm important to her, well, it's happiness. It's my own happiness.

A/N: And that concludes Hello Halcyon Days…

Just kidding! Not funny? Too mean? My bad. I thought I should try to make a joke because of my absence. Sorry about that. I think I fell too deeply into holiday mode. Anyways, keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying.


	25. Falling

A/N: A month has come and gone. I've missed writing this story. Writer's block has been a raging jerk to me, but I'm back before Christmas with a new chapter. Enjoy the revelation because there is something that We Do Knot Always Love You and Hello Halcyon Days have in common: Ichigo needs to be pushed. Anyways, keep reading! Thank you all for the support!

* * *

"Stop."

"Hmm?"

My eyes remain fixated on the screen. "Stop looking at me."

I can almost hear her blush forming. "I-I'm not!"

I snort. "Yeah, you are."

"Okay, I was," she relents. "But it's not my fault! You make the funniest expressions when you try not to laugh!"

I look at her. "I am _not_ laughing," I protest.

"Yeah, you are," she uses my words against me. "You are just too stubborn to admit that Kanonji-san's new special is funny."

My eyebrow raises. "Did you just call me stubborn?"

Her expression becomes serious although her eyes hide poorly concealed humor. "Maybe…"

A bubble of laughter starts to build in the back of my throat. "So you just called me stubborn, and my face makes you laugh. Should I feel insulted?"

She shakes her head quickly. "Not insulted. Complimented," she insists.

I roll my eyes. "Now that you mention it, I do feel flattered," I remark sarcastically.

She laughs, and I chuckle along with her until we hear knocks at her door. She gets up to answer the door.

"Yuzu-chan! Karin-chan! Hello!"

I look back, and I see my sisters being ushered in by Inoue who looks a bit confused.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Don't you remember, Onii-chan? I told you yesterday that we would be cooking with Orihime-chan today."

From behind them, I can see Inoue nodding her head like she just remembered their plans. She looks so sheepish about forgetting that I smirk.

"What are _you_ doing here, Ichi-nii?" Karin asks with a huge grin.

"I had to talk to Inoue about something," I tell her the truth, but she is still looking at me like she knows something.

"What time did you get here? From the looks of it, you look like you have been here for quite a while, which is weird since school just ended thirty minutes ago."

Before I can make up an excuse, Yuzu exclaims, "Wow! You got him to watch Don Kanonj's comedy special?!"

Inoue nods, and she looks sort of proud of herself. "Yup. He won't admit it, but Kurosaki-kun has a soft spot for Kanonji-san."

I grunt. "No, _you_ have a soft spot for him," I clarify.

"See? This is the stubbornness we just talked about," she says between giggles.

"I am not st- Don't just walk away when I'm defending myself," I call after her as she and Yuzu enter the kitchen.

"I'm still listening," she says with a smile.

"Forget it," I tell her with exasperation, and they all start laughing, and even if it's at me, I feel myself start to smile a little.

While they talk in the kitchen, I stand up, and I turn off the tv before heading over to them. I sit on a bar stool as Inoue pulls her hair into a high-ponytail. Her shirt rides up a bit, and I look away before I can really see the pale, smooth skin of her stomach.

But just because I don't see her skin, it doesn't mean that it is not seen.

"Orihime-chan, is that…? Are those scars?" Yuzu asks weakly.

I sit a bit straighter in my seat.

"Huh?" Inoue's hand reaches under her shirt to touch her back. "Oh, those? Yes, but…"

Yuzu's eyes start to water. "I'm sorry," she apologizes. "It's all my—"

She can't finish her sentence because Inoue's hug cuts her off. "Don't be silly. It's no one's fault."

It's in the way that she says it and the way that her eyes flicker to mine that I feel that her comment is also for me, and I force myself to relax.

Inoue pulls back and looks down at Yuzu, and even from here, I can see the kindness in Inoue's eyes. And for a second, I almost feel sorry for Yuzu because getting one of those looks from Inoue can be overwhelming. Because it makes you feel like you are being crushed by benevolence and goodness and sweetness. It makes you feel like you are the only person in the world, like you are so important, more important that anything or anyone. It's a look that makes you breathless and whole.

It's a look that makes you want to see it again and again.

Inoue lets her go, and she goes off to Karin whose hands are busy washing some vegetables. I can hear Inoue ask if she can put Karin's hair up for her, and Karin nods. Inoue carefully, almost too tenderly, combs her fingers through Karin's hair, and she wraps the hairband around Karin's hair. And once that is done, Inoue reaches over and tucks a stray hair behind Karin's ear while giving her that same, kind look.

And this seems simple. All of this seems like something that happens among friends, but it's not. Because it feels intimate. Inoue's actions seem to put a spell on Karin and Yuzu because they are both sporting small blushes, and their expression are a bit dazed as they stare at Inoue who is thanking them for bringing some things to cook with because she forgot to go grocery shopping. They laugh when Inoue laughs, and when she moves, it's like Yuzu and Karin shift in accordance. Like they are in perfect equilibrium.

For some reason, all of this feels too intimate.

Then Inoue looks at me again, with that look, and it's damn near impossible not to fall into the same trap that she got Karin and Yuzu with. But that's okay. Because there is something so liberating in falling. Where I'll land, I don't know. Don't care, really. As long as she keeps looking at me like that, I'll dive headfirst and just enjoy the fall.

And it's in that moment when she glances away that I realize something so obvious, so complex, so scary that all I want to do is leave. I want to run away, but I can't. I can't because I'm falling. I'm falling…or have I already fallen?

I must have missed part of the conversation because she asks, "You'll stay, won't you, Kurosaki-kun?"

Her brown eyes shine with hope, with expectation, with such warmth that I can't help say, "I'll stay."

She smiles, and the happiness in me blooms so big that it hurts.

I want to run. I want to hide. I want to live in denial. But I can't. Because it's so obvious and simple. I've fallen for her.


	26. Cognitive Illusions

A/N: Hello! Happy New Years! New year calls for a new chapter. I honestly feel kind of sorry for Ichigo in this chapter (and a bit angry at his stupidity). Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing.

* * *

Once the realization sinks in, it all starts to make sense. Everything starts to crystalize, starts to reform into something understandable. My recent actions toward her, this need to have her protected, the want to be by her side, all of it is becoming clearer

On the other hand, as much as it clears, everything becomes blurry. Because when I look at her, she is who she has always been. She is Inoue. She is the girl who smiles too much, who smiles not enough. The same girl who cries for friends, for enemies, for complete strangers. The girl who is beautiful both inside and out. The girl who is compassionate. And empathetic. And kind. And _good_.

She is Inoue. She is my friend.

No, that's not the whole truth. She's more than that. She means more to me than just that, and I want…I want her to be more than that, but I stare at her longer. I stare at her and wait for the image of her to change, but it doesn't. She is still Inoue to me. Nothing changes. There are no sparkles around her like I've seen in the Shoujo mangas Yuzu shows me. And my heart doesn't threaten to leap out of my chest when her eyes meet mine. Nothing figurative or poetic happens. Nothing monumental occurs. There is no indication whatsoever that she's suddenly different to me.

Everything is the same, so I have to ask myself if I really do like her. Have I really fallen for her? Because if I have, there should be something more, right? I know I want her to be more than a friend to me, but so what? It doesn't mean that I want her to be…it doesn't mean that I _want_ her.

My eyes trail back to her as she pouts at something Karin says and bursts out laughing a second later, and she starts waving the knife that she has in her hand around as she tells a story. And I feel a pang of worry at how careless she is being, but more than that, I feel happy that she is having so much fun. I feel glad that she is smiling.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun, would you like to help?" She asks as she puts the knife down.

"Psh. Ichi-nii doesn't cook," Karin answers.

I shoot her an unamused glance. "I cook sometimes," I argue.

"That's right. Onii-chan cooks for us when we are sick," Yuzu defends me, and I snort out a laugh when Karin rolls her eyes.

"You do?" Inoue asks me.

"On the rare occasion when they get sick, yeah," I tell her honestly.

"Oh…how kind," she responds back with a small smile.

I shrug my shoulders. "It's normal."

She looks over to me and smiles. "Right. Normal," she agrees. And then she does something that she is probably not even aware of, something that's a reflex: her eyes shift to the picture of her brother. I can see the corner of her mouth twitch down, and her eyes close briefly for a second before she claps her hands and grins. "We should start on the dough!"

They do while I remain seated as I try to soothe the small bout of pain that runs through me. Because the sadness that clung to her eyelashes as she gazed longingly at her brother's picture has my heart aching. And her words, her agreeing with me that it's normal has me feeling helpless because, for her, it was normal. A brother taking care of his sister was normal for her until…until it wasn't. And she is still in pain with her loss, but she is still able to smile. She is still able to bring joy to herself and to other people around her. She is still so damn bright that I…

I tilt my head back as I look at the ceiling. Everything is the same, and yet, everything is different. Because she might be who she always has been. She might be just Inoue to me, but she is…She is a cognitive illusion. She may appear to be the same, but beyond what meets my eyes, beyond my conscious and unconscious resistant to the truth, she is something else.

I look at her again, and I throw out the notion of the Inoue that I know, the Inoue that I cling to. I try to look at her without the assumption that she is just my friend and without the assumption that she will be nothing more, and like I suspected, something shifts. With no more interference, the image of her alters, and I can see her for who she is to me.

What I see scares the shit out of me.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I close my eyes. A feeble attempt to reverse the image, but when my eyes open to see her trying to make a perfect circle, I can't stop seeing it. I can no longer view her as I once did. It's irrevocable.

A moment of panic starts to take over. Irrational panic because this, the way I look at her will change things. And I don't want things to change. Everything around me is already changing, and the relationship I have with her, even if it stops at friendship, I want it to remain the one constant in my life. Because if it's not, if I lose her due to this…

I like her. That much I can accept. I look at her now, and I don't see stars and sparkles and glitter around her. My heart is steady when she hands me the chopped vegetables to stuff in the dough. But I like her. I look at her, and I see possibilities. I see her by my side. I see her smiling at me. I see her, and I see me. I see _us_ when I look at her. And that is frightening for multiple reasons.

Never have I ever imagined myself with anyone. Not in that way, at least, and now that it's happening, it's unwelcomed. Maybe if it had been anyone else, anyone else but her, I would be more accepting. If only it had been someone less important than she.

"Are you alright, Kurosaki-kun?" She asks.

No. "Yeah. Just thinking."

"Oh. Okay. Well, if you want a break from thinking, we will be playing a board game. Yuzu-chan is picking one right now while I put the dumplings to steam."

"Okay." I stand from my seat and head over to the small table where Yuzu and Karin are at. I spot the title of the game, and I want to bang my head against the wooden table.

"So which game will we be playing?" Inoue questions as she plops down across from me.

" _Love Letter_ ," Yuzu chirps in happily.

How ironic. Of course, we will be playing the one game that forces me to remember another reason why I should have fallen for someone else. Because just like the princess in the game, Inoue has many suitors. She never pays them any mind. She probably doesn't even realize the effect she has on them, how she affects them. And now, I am just one of them. I am a part of the many admirers that she has except that I can't pursue her. I can't ever let her know of my feelings because it'll ruin everything.

 _Love Letter_ is a game of risk, deduction, and luck. Well, I couldn't risk the friendship I have with her, and because of that, my feelings will never reach her. I don't need deduction skills to know that. And luck…I've always been unlucky. Because I have to watch as the man that she likes says yes to her when she confesses to him, and I have to smile while he does it because I'm her friend. I'm her friend, and that is all I will be, and I have to be happy for her even if it means watching her be happy with someone else. Because I can't be without her. I can't not have her my life.

So I'll be by her side, and I'll pretend to be able to look at her like I look at everyone else. And I'll pretend that it doesn't bother me that she likes someone else. I'll pretend and pretend until, hopefully, I can fool myself into seeing her like I once did.


	27. The Dissonance of Unrequited Like

A/N: So the ending of Chapter 26 left me stumped. For the life of me, I could not find a non-choppy opening to chapter 27 for the longest time. And if that weren't all ready putting pressure on me, Aurona X made a comment about my writing skills, which is nice, really nice and appreciated, don't get me wrong, but it added a lot of pressure because I felt that I had to write in the same level as Chapter 26. Since I couldn't do that, I kept rewriting, trying to find a perfect start, but I couldn't. And then bleachfanficfanatic helped me iron out all of these (incomplete/nonsensical) ideas, and she basically helped me write this chapter, so send her kudos because she deserves it! Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing. Next chapter (or definitely the one after that) will be a doozy. Prepare yourselves to groan and to aw and to kick Ichigo.

* * *

It won't work. I can't do it. I can't fool myself. I know that. I know that as I tease her for getting too competitive and for knocking me out of the first two rounds.

"You are so cheating," I lightly accuse as I show my card.

She laughs. "I am so not. You just have an open-book kind of face".

I know that as I see her grin as she congratulates Yuzu for winning.

"I never knew that you had such a poker-face, Orihime-chan," Yuzu says as she puts up the game.

Inoue laughs as she and Karin brings the dumplings to the table.

"Me either," Karin agrees while Inoue distributes plates for everyone as she sits back down.

"I'm surprised at how bad Kurosaki-kun is at this game," she jests, and I roll my eyes, making them all giggle.

I know that as I cringe when she puts a mixture of Wasabi and butter on her dumplings.

"You shouldn't knock it until you've tried it, Kurosaki-kun," she admonishes between bites.

I know that as we leave, and she thanks me for today.

"For what?" I ask.

"For…" She falters, and her cheeks start to redden a little as she glances down. Her eyes meet mine when we hear Karin griping at me to hurry up. "For," she sighs and then smiles. "For being my friend."

I know I can't fool myself when I feel my face soften and when my lips return her smile. Because when I have to tell her, "You make it easy," I know why lying to myself won't be plausible. Won't be attainable.

I tell her goodbye as I stuff my hands into my pockets as I catch up to Yuzu and Karin who are walking without a care in the world. Walking in a world temporary filled by Inoue's warmth that combats the cool breeze which accompanies the night. And it feels nice. It feels comforting to know that I'm not the only one who is shaken by her. And it's different. I know that, too, but we are shaken, nonetheless. But it's the difference that creates varying reactions when we get home.

The old man is sitting in the dark, crying that his children have abandoned him and left him there to rot all alone. And although shaken, Yuzu, tangibly in a good mood, tries to soothe our dad. Although shaken, Karin, imperceptibly happy, handles him with a few remarks that have no bite.

And me…shaken to my core by her, I'm unable to address him at all. I just head up to my room and fall onto my bed and close my eyes.

"How's Orihime-chan?"

I don't bother to open my eyes as I answer him. "She's better."

"Then what's up with that expression?"

I snort. "This is just my natural face."

He doesn't respond, and neither do I. It's so quiet that if it weren't for his reiatsu, I would assume he left.

"Tell her," he abruptly announces.

That has my eyes snapping open. I sit up and stare at him.

"Tell her what?" I ask with hesitation, suddenly worried that he knows what I won't admit.

He's serious right now as he looks at me. It's like he is having an internal battle about something, something that I'm not quite aware of. He briefly closes his eyes, and he releases a harsh breath a second later. He gives a small shake of his head.

"Tell her thanks for the leftovers. They're good," he finishes.

It seems off. He's holding something back, but then again, so am I. So I let it go instead of calling him on it.

"Sure. She'll be happy to hear it."

He nods and starts to close my door behind him. But he stops. "Cheer up, kid. Regret is for the old, and you're still too young." And that's all he says before he shuts the door.

I lie back down, and I think about his words. I guess his statement or assessment is fair to an extent. I do feel regret. And the regret doesn't come from my decision to keep my feelings hidden. No, I know that is the right choice because she deserves to be happy. She deserves to be with the guy that she likes without having to feel bothered about my feelings or without having to feel guilty for turning me down. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable around me, so I know that my choice to let her go is for the best. It's the best for her, which means that it's the best for me.

The regret is from thinking that I could lie to myself. Because I can't. My mind won't let me look at her and think of her as anything less than what she is to me. And to me, she is special, and trying to pretend that she's not, that she's just like everyone else makes some part inside of me twist and revolt. It makes something in me protest.

My body, too, rejects the idea that I can treat her like I treat everyone else, and it acts out. At her apartment, I felt my eyes focusing on her too much when we were playing that card game. I felt the tension in my body, the tension that I usually always have, waver and decrease. And I felt myself smile a bit more than I'm used to.

And when she said that she's thankful to have me as her friend, I could feel my mind and my body work in total dissonance. Because although I smiled at her and my expression became gentler, inside…inside I was hurt. I was hurt, and I shouldn't have been because I'm the one who resigned myself to live as her friend in the first place. I did that, but hearing her say it out loud, hearing her tell me what I was to her, it sounded so final. It squashed this bit of hope that I didn't even know existed in me. Hope that I could be…that we could be…

On the outside, I pretended I was fine. I gave her that smile because I couldn't help it. But inside, there was pain. Pain that I couldn't hide from myself. Pain that had to be acknowledged because pretending that I could chose to _not_ like her was a betrayal. A betrayal to myself. Because I could tell myself how to feel all I want, but I couldn't stop how I really _do_ feel. And I shouldn't try because I owed it to myself. She even said it to me before when we were talking about Tatsuki and Chad. That we are allowed to feel how we feel, and that we owe it to ourselves.

And now, I should allow myself to like her without deception or secrecy or guilt. I owe it to myself to experience these new feelings without reluctance or restrictions. I should immerse myself in this unrequited like even if it's painful. Even if it leaves me feeling vulnerable. And it does, but there is also a lingering sense of relief knowing that I can be honest to myself about my feelings.

So when I hear her voice greeting Mizuiro and me, I let this warm feeling in my chest spread while I fix my facial features so that I can appear nonchalant.

"Are you two busy this Sunday?" She asks with excitement.

I can feel a frown forming. "Why?"

She laughs and steals a glance at a smirking Tatsuki. "There you go again with your tell-all expressions. Why are you suspicious of me, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Not suspicious," I correct, "I'm just, you know, being cautious."

"It was one time!" She pouts as Tatsuki rubs her head, pacifying her. I can hear Mizuiro stifling a laugh.

"It's okay, Orihime. It wasn't your fault." Tatsuki turns to glare at me. "And didn't we all come to an agreement to not mention it again?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Well, you can trust me this time," she insists.

"I'm free, Inoue-san," Mizuiro chirps in.

She claps her hands together. "That's great! There's a music festival going on this weekend, and I thought we could all go to celebrate Kurosaki-kun getting his powers back."

I resist the urge to scowl. No one knows that I wouldn't be getting them back, and I couldn't tell anyone either. I don't want to worry anybody, so I have to hide it. Especially from her.

"Be honest. You just want an excuse to visit all the food stands."

She giggles. "Ah, Kurosaki-kun, you know me too well!"

We all laugh.

"I wouldn't want to get in your way when there's food involved, so I'm in."

She quickly pouts, but I see that she's trying to smother a smile. "My hero," she banters.

I guess it's a good thing that she suddenly pulls on Tatsuki while announcing that she has to invite all of our other friends before class starts. Because if she stayed a second longer, if she looked at me too closely, she would've known how I feel. Because to her, I'm an open-book, and a blush is pretty revealing.

I can feel Mizuiro looking at me, and I walk after them, toward school. "Come on. It's cold," I declare in a way that explains my red face.

If he believes me, I don't know. He just agrees about the weather while he catches up to me. But when we part ways for class, I berate myself for not keeping my reactions under control. I might be all for inwardly expressing and accepting my feelings, but I'm unwilling to outwardly exhibit my emotions. Which might prove to be more of an obstacle than I probably anticipated, but if it means that she'll remain oblivious to my feelings, then I'm up for the challenge.


	28. Familiar Stranger

A/N: Hello! The chapter is so short, and it really shouldn't have taken almost two weeks (maybe more?) to write. My bad. Not much to say today…next chapter, I think, will make me more talkative. I wonder what could be happening? Hmm…Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

* * *

Some things stay the same. Like the way she talks. That's the same. It doesn't change, but the way I _hear_ her does. When she talks, the wind carries her words, sending them crashing somewhere beyond my ears where they break apart into a million pieces; pieces which land in my head, trickle down my throat, and spread like a delayed explosion, wreaking havoc at each spot they touch.

The way she smiles is the same. It doesn't change, but the way I _feel_ it does. Her smile is no longer just a visual experience. It takes on a different dimension, another facet. Each time her lips quirk up, I'm engulfed in this metaphysical wave of goodness. I'd drown in it if it weren't for the fact that each time she smiles, I feel like it's easier to breathe.

The way she _is_ remains the same. She doesn't change, but I do. I'm altered so completely that the mirror reflects someone I don't know. Someone that I shouldn't get to know. Someone that I am, and someone I am not. Someone who she brought out, who she created. Someone who is a familiar stranger.

Each day, though, I look at this stranger in passing. Sometimes he's brighter. Like he's taken some of her light for his own. And sometimes he's tired. Like the weight of his feelings is too heavy for him to carry. But he's happy. He's brighter, he's tired, and he's happy.

I wait for her to notice this impostor, but she doesn't. She doesn't notice, and by Saturday, I'm convinced I can do this. I can like her in secret. I can like her freely without her finding out. I can be by her side and pine for her in private. And I can be happy doing so.

But just because she doesn't notice, it doesn't mean that no one else does. I find that out when Chad comes over unexpectedly in the evening. I can tell somethings up with him. His quietness seems hesitant. It's like he wants to say something, but he doesn't think he should.

I invite him up to my room. I take the bed while he takes my chair. It's silent, and I think he wants me to speak first.

I sigh as I run my fingers through my hair.

"What gave me away?"

See, that's the thing about Chad. People assume that Chad is just naturally reserved, maybe even shy, but really, he's observant. Which is why I asked the question that I did. Because I know that he knows. He spotted the impostor.

He smiles a bit like he's trying to figure out how to answer me.

"It was the way you looked at her," he explains.

I nod. "I've been staring at her more, right?" That makes sense. Despite my efforts to keep them away, my eyes kept going back to her.

He shakes his head. "The opposite. You've been looking at her less."

I frown.

"It was like you were consciously making the effort to not look in her direction. That's how I knew."

I give a curt laugh. "Damned if I look at her too much, and damned if I don't." I rub my forehead with the heel of my hand. "I couldn't even last a week," I say to myself.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think you've hid your feelings from yourself for a while now."

I stare hard at him. "What are you talking about?"

"…"

"Chad," I stress.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Are you going to tell her?"

I know he ignored my question, but his question has my full attention. For now, at least.

"I'm not."

It's his turn to frown.

"Why?"

"Because being friends with her…it's the only guarantee that I'll always be able to be by her side."

Although my response is honest, he appears to not like it.

"Will you really be satisfied with _just_ being her friend?"

"Yeah."

"You're lying," he quietly accuses.

I feel myself glaring. "I'm not. As long as she's in my life, I can be happy."

"You _can_ be happy," he agrees. I relax a bit. "But you _won't_ be." I tense up.

"I appreciate your concern, Chad, but you can't tell me how I feel," I snap.

It's back to being quiet.

"You're right. It's not my place." He stands up, and I instantly feel like an ass. "I just want you to be happy." That feeling grows.

I rub my neck. "You worry too much. I'll be fine."

His frown deepens. "Fine is not the same as happy."

"I'm pretty sure they are synmonous," I joke. He doesn't crack a smile. "Look, I'll be happy as long as she's happy."

He flinches. What I just said, it's not what he wants to hear. "You know, she's happy when you're happy," he says.

"I know," I say quietly. "And I'm happy. Really." I try to persuade him that I am, but each time I say it, it's like he believes me less and less.

He leaves soon after that, but his doubt remains in the room. Doubt if I can truly be happy with the arrangement I've made for myself. Doubt that completely makes my conviction wither piece-by-piece.

And I hate how easily influenced I am by his skepticism. Because now I'm wondering if he's right. I mean, for the last few days, I've been happy, but could I maintain this level of content? It'll all depend on how long I like her for, and if the duration is short, I could do it. I could be happy.

But I have this feeling that I'll like her for a long time because this is not a crush. What I'm feeling for her doesn't feel temporary or brief. It's not infatuation. It's more than that. And that's the problem. Can I really, truly be happy as I harbor these feelings for her indefinitely?

I want to believe that I can. I really do, but the next morning when I get ready for the festival, I pass the mirror, and the familiar stranger is tired. He's tired, and maybe tomorrow he'll be bright again, but today, he's tired. So tired.

.

.

.

And I can't tell if he's happy.


	29. Wound Tighter and Tighter

A/N: Wooho! A longer chapter in a week! That must be a record, right?! Yay!

I forgot to mention that bleachfanficfanatic helped me last chapter. Sorry about that! I was just in a rush to get the chapter out that it slipped my mind.

So as you get to the end of the chapter, you are going to notice that I totally could have wrote more (I had planned to write more), but if you can tell, I like keeping my readers, my readers who I love and cherish, in forced suspense, so I ended it the way I did (insert evil laughter). But that means next chapter will be…will be worth the wait. Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing.

P.S. I put in a reference to my all-time favorite anime. Can you guess it? (If not, it'll be on my tumblr as a gif).

* * *

"You okay? You look kind of ragged."

I ignore her remark as she walks past me to take a seat on the couch. I look outside, searching the streets, waiting for my eyes to soak up that smile which I need to see. That smile which can calm this festering pensive feeling in me.

I close the door and turn around. "Where's Inoue?"

Tatsuki smirks as she places an arm on the back of the couch. "It's sort of interesting that the first thing you ask about is Orihime, isn't it?"

I cross my arms and glare at her, trying to make her answer me. She clicks her tongue.

"She got called in to work today.

I'm not disappointed.

"But she said that she'll meet us there as soon as she gets out."

And I'm not relieved, either.

"They are working her too hard," I state, a bit disgruntled.

"Well, you know Orihime. She can't say no, and she likes to help. A deadly combo." I frown at her words, and she laughs to herself. "Anyways, she actually likes to work unlike you who has been skipping work all this week."

"Who are you? My boss?"

"If I were your boss, you would've already been fired."

"Tch. As if I'd work for someone like you in the first place…Wait. How'd you know that I haven't gone to work?"

"Orihime. She said that you've been ditching your job to watch over her in the bakery."

I walk over to a seat, keeping my head down to cover the blush in my cheeks.

"She's fine. You don't have to watch over her every second of the day."

"It's not every second," I defend. She laughs.

"It's not like I don't appreciate it. She gave me a hell-of-a-scare last week. If it weren't for her begging, I would've dropped out of college to stay here." She exhales heavily. "It's a huge relief to know that you'll be here protecting her." I nod in agreement. It is a relief that Inoue will stay so I can protect her.

"Hey. Can I ask you a question?"

It's weird of her to even ask. "If I told you no, would you listen?"

"Nope."

"Guess I have no choice." I lay my head back to stare at the ceiling. "Go ahead."

"Would you be willing to kill a guy?"

I lift my head to scowl at her. "No. Why?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Just wondering."

"What a stupid question." I go back to staring at the ceiling.

"What if this guy hurt Orihime?"

I don't look at her this time. "There are exceptions to the rule, I suppose."

She laughs. "Good. Remember this conversation."

I close my eyes in annoyance. "Why?"

"Because she's going to ask someone out today."

My eyelids snap open. "She-she is?"

Her face is blank. "Yup."

I try to copy her expression. I try to be casual as I ask, "When?"

"Who knows? She could be doing it right now for all I know." I flinch at her casualness.

"Oh." I lay my head back onto the couch again. My eyes close. Not in annoyance this time. "Do you…do you think he'll say yes?"

It's hard to keep my voice steady. To keep myself completely detached when her next words have the potential to send me plummeting to a special kind of pain that's reserved for romance. It's very hard, indeed, to keep myself tightly wound so I can remain emotionally stable.

"I have no idea." I still hold my breath. "He's a tough cookie to read sometimes." Still holding. "But if he does, he better watch himself. And if he turns her down, he better get ready."

Despite how I feel, I let out a shaky chuckle. "So this guy is screwed either way, huh."

"You bet your ass he is."

"Poor sap." What's even poorer is that a part of me still wants, still hopes when I shouldn't, to be that poor sap.

"Don't feel too sorry for him," she remarks. "Do you know how many hearts she'll be breaking if he accepts her confession?"

"You mean _when_ he accepts her confession," I correct. I fail at masking the bitterness because I'm almost positive that something in me will break, too.

"Like I said, I don't know what his response will be."

"He would have to be a first-class moron to turn someone like Inoue down."

"He would have to be, wouldn't he?" It sounds like she has laughter in her voice.

I breathe out harshly through my nose.

"Would you be mad if I bailed today?"

"Hell yeah. We only have so many days before high school is over." I squeeze my eyes shut even harder. "Plus, I promised Orihime that you'd be there, and you know how I hate to break promises to her."

"Fine. But don't expect me to be—"

"Ichigooooo! It's me! Open up!"

I groan. "Tatsuki, do you mind?"

She gets up to answer the door, letting in a blast of energy that I don't have the patience for, that I don't want to deal with, but I have to. Even if all I want to do is go back into my room and pretend today is yesterday, I have to tolerate today. Because Inoue asked for me to be at the festival, so I will be.

Toleration is all that I can muster, though. I rely on Mizuiro, Tatsuki, and Chad to keep Keigo's excitement contained. Ishida provides no help. Not like I expected him to, but he does keep his infuriating quips to himself.

As we walk around, I learn that it's not really just a musical festival. The music portion starts in the evening while food stands and games take up the morning and afternoon, so we spend the day eating various foods and watching Keigo lose his money while trying to impress some girls who run their booths.

Everything is barely bearable. And it's only when I sense her spiritual pressure nearing that the headache I have retreats. The ache in my chest is still there, but I don't expect it to leave. In fact, it grows as I turn around and see her waving at us, calling out a greeting with her carefree smile.

"It's about time you got here!" Tatsuki yells as she runs to us.

"Sorry! I had to stop by my apartment to change, but I come with gifts!" She reaches into her bag and pulls out small plastic cups, and she hands them out. She then pulls out a bottle.

"Wow! Is that alcohol?!"

"Huh?" She blushes. "Oh, no! It's just sparkling juice. Don't worry, Asano-kun, it's non-alcoholic."

She doesn't hear when Keigo says that he wouldn't worry if she tried to get him drunk, but I hear it. And I send him glare. He pales and looks down at his cup.

"I hope you all have been enjoying yourselves! It's a shame that I couldn't be here earlier." She pouts but then quickly smiles. "But I'm here now! And I'd like to make a toast!" She pours the juice into the cups, and she holds out hers. "It's been a month since we all had a group-hang, right?" She glances up at the sky, and she purses up her lips like she's thinking. "A month of news," she leans a bit on Tatsuki as she says this, "a month of laughter, a month of peacefulness," I frown at that, "a month of change." She smiles as she moves her eyes across our faces. "But no matter what change we have in stored for us, I hope our bonds will stay," she looks at Tatsuki, "Loyal," she looks at Chad, "Strong," then at Mizuiro, "Attentive," next at Keigo, "Goofy," and then at Ishida, "Resilient," and she finally looks at me, and she stares into my eyes. "And forever protected." She holds her cup higher. "Cheers to our last months of high school! Cheers to us!" We all meet our cups in the middle. Only her and Keigo shout Banzai. Chad quietly says it. The rest of us drink the juice silently; although I'm sure we are all saying it in our heads.

"Oh! I forgot!" She grins at me. "Cheers to Kurosaki-kun for getting his powers back!" She begins to pour more juice into our cups, frowning when she realizes she doesn't have enough. "I ran out."

"It's okay," Tatsuki pets her head. "Hey, let's go get you some food. You must be starving, right?"

Inoue brightens as she nods. Tatsuki leads her to a Yakitori stand, telling us that they'll meet up with us once Inoue is fed.

"That was a pretty speech. Almost as pretty as she is," Mizuiro compliments.

"Yeah…" Keigo gazes after them. "Inoue-san totally loves me!"

"How did you get that from what she said?" Ishida asks.

"She said, 'Goofy!'"

We all stare at him.

"Everyone knows that women fall for guys who can make them laugh! I'm in!"

I stuff my hands in my pockets. "You're an idiot."

He starts whining as I walk away, ignoring their questions about where I'm going.

I spot her having an animated conversation with a food vendor. She smiling, and the old man is laughing as he grills the Yakitori. I step closer to them.

"It's the same!" She insists.

"The name implies that it has to be grilled. If it's not grilled, it's not Yakitori!"

"It tastes the same."

He shakes his head. "Try this. You won't ever be able to say that again." He hands her a skewer. She takes it while reaching into her bag. "This one is on me. Just try it out."

"Thank you, Ojii-san!" She takes a bite, and she laughs. "You're right! Yours is more delicious!" The old man looks proud. "I guess it's not the same if you cook them on the stove."

"That's what I've been saying, Ojou-chan!" I blink at the enduring suffix.

"Have you two met before, Inoue?"

She turns toward me with wide eyes and a piece of chicken caught between her teeth.

The old man bellows out a hearty-laugh.

She swallows and licks her lips quickly. I blink.

"Kurosaki-kun! You surprised me!" She gives a smile to the man. "No, we just met. Why?"

"No reason." It's just like her to immediately get someone to like her. To make friends so quickly.

She finishes her food fast, and she pulls out some money. "I'll take six more, Ojii-san!"

He shakes his head. "You sure know how to eat."

"Of course!" She stands a bit taller. "Eating is one of my talents!"

I chuckle as I pull out my wallet. "Eating is not a talent," I direct to her. "This is for her food," I say to him while I hand him a couple of bills.

"What are you doing, Kurosaki-kun?"

"I did say I would treat you next time. It's next time."

She blushes. "You…you don't have to."

"I want to." She blushes even more.

"You must be going broke trying to feed her," he teases.

She puffs out her cheeks. "Ojii-san!" She's embarrassed.

He laughs as he hands her a plate with her food. There's an extra one. "It'll be the best way to go broke, though. Right?" He gives me a sly smile while I try to respond. "You kids enjoy! The music part is about to start."

She thanks him again, and we walk aimlessly as she eats. She offers me one, but I turn it down. I'm not in the mood for food. Especially not when my stomach is in knots.

"Where's Tatsuki?"

"She met some students from her dojo, and she's treating them to shaved ice. She says she'll be back soon."

"She left you alone?"

"I'm capable of taking care of myself, Kurosaki-kun."

I glare at all the males who are casting her appreciate glances. Yes, she's pretty with her long-sleeved sweater and short skirt, shorter than I'm comfortable looking at, but they don't have to stare so much.

"I know you are. It's just...I heard that there has been an increase in stalkers."

She snorts. "Don't you know, Kurosaki-kun? Everyone is a stalker in search of love." She laughs. "I heard that from this funny anime! You should watch it!"

I nod even though I'm a bit disturbed by her comment about stalkers. It's stuff like that that make me worried about her. It's her trusting nature that's making me hypervigilant and protective. It's her innocence. Not jealousy.

"You've been having fun?"

I shrug my shoulders. "You could say that." She gives me a confused look. "How was your day?"

She pauses. "It was fine."

What does that mean? I try to subtly inspect her expression, and I can't understand it. I can't tell if she confessed already, and if she did, did he say yes? What does fine mean? Fine is not the same as happy. Chad told me that, so does this mean that the guy turned her down?

"So nothing exciting happened?"

She thinks for a second. She grins. "I did make a cake from scratch. I even decorated it with frosting I made!"

Again, her words and her expression reveal nothing to me. I know nothing, but those knots in my stomach become more taunt. And I am wound tighter and tighter.

I see a dango stand.

"Do you want something sweet?" I point at the yatai.

She shakes her head. "I think…well, I have something sweet at home."

Something? Or someone?

I pull at my hair at the stupid thought. At the ridiculous, out-of-line, paranoid, and yes, jealous filled thought.

And tighter and tighter I'm wound.

"Oh! It's starting! Come on!"

Her fingers grab at the sleeve of my hoodie, and she pulls me with her.

When we find the others, she lets me go. She tries to run into the crowd, I think to get closer to the stage, but Ishida holds her back from the shoulders.

Wound tighter and tighter.

With Tatsuki by her side, she slowly maneuvers her way into the crowd while everyone else follows. Chad stays behind, and I walk until I'm next to him.

"How long?"

My question goes unanswered, and maybe it's because he can't hear me over the pop-rock music playing.

"How long have I liked her?"

My voice is strained and loud. Loud but not loud enough to cover the thunderous sound of my heartbeats.

He looks at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Years."

Tighter and tighter.

I don't say anything anymore. I just watch the band play with unseeing eyes. I hear with closed ears.

And I think. I just stand and think. Think of fleeting things, fleeting emotions. Think in a nonsensical stream of consciousness. Think until she pops out from the crowd, a crowd that seems to part for her, for her and only her. Think as we start to leave. And I think she asks me to walk her home, and I think I agree. And I think she's nervous because she's rambling in the same way I'm thinking. And I think this is it. I think this is the end. I think she's going to tell me. I think Chad's right.

I think I can't be wound more than this.

As soon as we reach her apartment complex, I try to leave. I give her some excuse that it's late and we have school tomorrow, but she asks if I could just hold on while she gets something from her apartment. And because she asks, I stay even though I want to run. Because it's _her_ that asks, I fight my instinct to flight even though pain is the only thing that's waiting for me now.

She runs down the stairs, holding a box in her hands. And she is blushing. She's blushing so much that it's not an exaggeration when I think I can feel the heat radiating off her cheeks.

"You…well…Kurosaki-kun…hehehe," she takes a deep breath. "This is for you."

She bows slightly as she hands me the box, and her hair covers her face.

"What's this for?"

She doesn't straighten up. I can't see her face, but I can see her wringing her hands.

"It's-it's…" She tries to stutter out an explanation, but she can't get out an understandable sentence.

"Inoue, are you okay?"

She nods, but she doesn't look at me as she asks me to open the box, and because it's her that asks, I do.

And time stands still.


	30. Unwind

A/N: Hello, my beloved fans! Are your eyes deceiving you? Nope! An update in three days! And let me tell ya, I'm so nervous about this chapter! I had this scene planned from the very beginning, but I had saw this scene through Orihime's perspective, so it was a challenge to write it in Ichigo's. But I like it. I really do, so please keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing. (AHHHH! 30 chapters! I'm so proud of me!)

* * *

Blink. Blink because I'm seeing this wrong. I must be. My eyes are playing tricks on me. My mind is registering these characters on the cake wrong, making them form into words that separately would make sense but are completely indecipherable when put together.

Breathe. Breathe because I'm not. Halted intake of air as my eyes follow each stroke of those words that won't change. What it's trying to convey is printed clearly. There's no room for interpretation. No room for discussion or denial. It's plain and simple and clean.

Swallow. Swallow because my throat is suddenly dry. Dry with trepidation as I reread the words. Words that invent crossroads. No, that's not entirely true. It's my response that will ultimately create these alternative timelines…My throat becomes dryer.

Chad's right. That part of me that wants something more with her will never be satisfied, and it's a strong possibility I won't be happy. But that's all it is: a possibility. A chance. But I'm right, too. If I don't ever tread down that path with her, I might not be happy, but I know that if I lose her friendship, it is undeniable that I will not be happy. If I can't have her in my life, I can't be happy. I know that. I _feel_ that.

My eyes move from the box toward her. She's still hiding behind her hair, still squeezing her hands together, still waiting for me. And that's not fair. None of this is fair to her. She shouldn't have given me this box, this cake with words that I want to believe, with feelings that I want to monopolize. She shouldn't have done any of this. Because I-I…

She's presenting me with sentiments that I can't accept. Because I can't risk it. I can't risk our friendship. For almost three years, I've been friends with her. Our relationship has grown, and I won't imagine a world without that. I have to protect it. Protect our bond because that's my job. Our bond needs to be forever protected, and I have to protect it forever.

I can't accept, and I'm a liar because I am wound so tight, so much tighter than I thought possible that it _hurts._ Everything hurts, but I can't accept.

Time seems set into motion again as a gust of frigid wind closes the lid of the box because her head snaps up, and her eyes widen. She looks lost for a second before she flashes a smile. That smile that I hate with eyes that reveal too much.

"Oh. I understand." Her voice is quivering, but she's still trying to smile. Trying to keep it in place while she looks at the ground. Keep it in place while my insides rage a civil war. "Well, you said…you promised that we would still be friends, so I'll see you tomorrow!"

I can't accept. I can't, but when she turns to leave, my hand shoots out desperately, mindlessly, to grab her wrist. And once my hand wraps around her wrist, I know that I can't do this. I can't reject her, reject us. I can't let her go even though I should. I can't because she's willing to gamble our friendship, willing to put everything on the line for something more. Something that could potentially be better. She's willing to risk something that I can't.

When did she become so courageous?

When did I become such a coward?

She tries to pull her wrist from me, but my hold is relentless. I might be hurting her by how badly she's pulling, but I can't release her because I know what'll happen when I do. Once she is free, she'll leave. She'll leave, and I'll have erased each alterative timeline, leaving only one left. One path that leads to friendship and nothing more. No more crossroads. Just one road.

"Inoue." She struggles more. "Look at me, Inoue." She doesn't. All she does is try to escape my grasp. "Please." If my tone sounds like a beg, it is because I'm begging. I'm afraid that if she doesn't face me, if she doesn't look at me, then it's over. I would've done irreparable damage to us.

She shakes her head, and I can't take it anymore.

"I like you, too."

She spins around so quickly that she breaks my grip. My eyes find hers, and I wince. She's crying. I've made her cry, and I don't know what to do. All urges point to holding her, comforting her, apologizing to her, and crumbling at the pain I feel for hurting her.

"No, it's not the same," she says quietly, sniffling while she rubs her tear-soaked cheeks with her sleeve.

It is, though. My words are the same ones that are on the cake. The same confession.

"I like you," I repeat with more feeling, making me blush.

She shakes her head again.

"No, it's different." She lifts her chin so she stares straight into my eyes. "I don't just like you, Kurosaki-kun. I like _like_ you."

"I know," I tell her softly. "I like you, too."

Her eyes close, and she starts to frown. Some tears start to stream down her redden cheeks again.

"You like me as a friend, but I like you more than that. I don't like you as just a friend…well, I like you as friend, but I also—"

My cheeks are hot when I cut her off. "I like you, Inoue!" She stops rambling. "I like _like_ you, okay? I like you, so please, please, don't make me say it again because it's getting embarrassing."

"You-you can't…" she mumbles, disbelief in her voice and her eyes.

"I can," I stop her. "I do."

She lowers her gaze down to her shoes, and though it's embarrassing, I prepare myself to repeat those words until I'm blue in the face. I'll say those words in any order, I'll pick different words, I'll stay here all night, anything for her to believe me.

But it's not needed. She moves her head back, and I stare down at her while she stares up at me, and she smiles. Not that fake smile. A real one, and the war in me ceases. That knot in my stomach disintegrates. The tension that had me wound so tight unwinds, leaving this calmness, this serenity in me. Like I'm finally at peace.

"You like me?" She whispers.

I gulp as the blood reaches my ears.

I nod.

"Pinch me."

"What?"

"Pinch me so I know this is real and not a dream," she explains.

I scowl. "No."

She pouts. "But how will I know it's real?"

If I were a brave man, a bold man with no inhibition, I would do something that I've seen in movies, something I've done in dreams, but because I am me, an inexperienced teenage boy, I don't. I can't.

I gather a patch of skin between my forefinger and thumb and squeeze.

"What are you doing?" She gasps.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not going to pinch you, so this should be enough, right?" I show her the red skin of my hand that holds the box.

She bites her lip in concertation. She looks unconvinced.

"Maybe I should go jump off the roof and see if I can fly," she ponders out loud.

"You are not dreaming," I assert. "And don't even think of doing something so stupid and dangerous."

She frowns with pink cheeks, and I sigh.

"You're not…you're not just being nice, are you?"

I snort. "I'm not that nice."

"Yes, yes you are."

"Inoue, please, just accept my confession. Stop being so stubborn!"

She looks surprised before she laughs. "Me? I'm stubborn?"

"Yes, yes you are."

She blushes, and she tries to cover face with hands. It's cute.

She's cute.

I blush at the thought.

She giggles suddenly, and she starts swaying in the cool breeze.

I laugh lightly. "Are you sure that sparkling juice wasn't really alcoholic?" I ask as she hums softly. She's acting so...giddy.

She smiles. So big, so bright and infectious that my lips attempt to mirror hers.

"I'm not so sure now," she says with shyness that leaps off her and onto me. I look away, embarrassed.

It's quiet. Awkward because this is new to us. We are not just in uncharted territory; we are creating this territory step-by-step, and I feel like if we make a step to soon, we'll fall into oblivion.

How terrifying. How absolutely thrilling.

"Well, I should get going," I finally interject. I turn around and start to walk away when her arms wrap around me. She presses her body against me, and she pushes herself to me. I can feel her forehead against my back. I can feel my heart jump to my throat.

"W-wh—" I stutter out.

"I'm drunk," she whispers.

I can't help it. I laugh. Loudly.

"Liar."

She squeezes me tighter, to the point where it should hurt, but it doesn't. All I can think is that I want her to hold me tighter.

"I'm drunk," she swears as she pulls me tighter to her. Can she hear me? "I'm dreaming." Tighter. "I'm crazy." Tighter. "I'll be anything, everything. Just…just stay like this for a bit more."

I have to remind myself that I have a cake in my hand because if I don't, I would have turned around and hugged her back because it's unfair. It's outrageously unfair how I can't hold her back. It's deeply unfair when her arms leave me. Ridiculously unfair how she runs away from me, telling me she'll see me at school. Unfair how warm I feel in the cold weather.


	31. How Dare He

A/N: I've been so busy. I'm so sorry! Wah! But I have a week or so of free time, so hopefully I can update at least twice before Spring Break. Bleachfanficfanatic helped me out because my writing is a little rusty and unpolished so big thanks to her! Hmmm…not much to say, but thanks to all you guys for waiting patiently for my story! Thank you all for your continuous support! 300+ comments for 30 chapters! Thanks so much! I hope you all keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

Next chapter will be sweet. Trust me on this!

* * *

It takes me a whole minute of just looking up towards her apartment before I can make my feet move. A whole five minutes of not thinking, of just walking, of just feeling. But after those five minutes, with the lingering sensation of her arms wrapped around me and the afterglow of the confession, my mind starts to match the speed of my racing heart.

So she likes me. I'm the one that she chose. Out of all the guys that like her, she picked me, and there is something so unbelievable about it. Unbelievable because the way she denied my feelings, the way she thought it was all a dream, it made it seem like she found it so farfetched that I could like her back. It was like she thought I was the one out of _her_ league.

My face starts to grow hotter as I think of how she might see me. She could have anyone she wants. She could have anyone by her side, but she is allowing me that privilege. Me alone. And I let out a self-deprecating chuckle because I had been so bothered about who would be next to her, and it's kind of funny to think that I've worried for nothing. I had cursed the guy she would chose, I had called him an idiot, an undeserving one at that, and all along, the one who she thinks is special and worthy of her is me.

My eyebrows scrunch up together, and I can feel my lips turn down as the heat in my cheeks cools a bit.

She likes me. But how long has she liked me? It must be recent. It couldn't possibly be for that long because the one she _really_ likes is not me. Because the guy she likes has someone else in his heart. She told that to Yuzu and Karin, and that's not me. So she must've given up on that guy and decided to choose me instead. I'm her second choice.

But the heaviness of the box doesn't let me accept that reasoning. And when I crack open the lid and see the chocolate dipped-strawberries imprinted in the white frosting, when my eyes trace the chocolate shavings which spell out her feelings for me, when I remember that she made everything from scratch, that she did all of this for me, I know I'm the one she truly likes.

Which means that she has been misunderstanding. It means that she's been keeping her feelings a secret, carrying the heavy burden of liking me silently, and smiling at me through the pain I unknowingly caused her. Because in her skewed perspective, not only did she believe that I couldn't like her, but she also believed I was pining after someone else.

I sigh as I shake my head. Inoue and I are more alike than I originally thought. We were both pining after each other and thinking that the other was longing for another.

We're both idiots.

Still, I wonder who Inoue thought I liked. No person comes to mind. I mean, the girls and women I know are attractive, but I'm not attracted to any of them. So which one did she perceive to have my heart?

I close the lid of the box and then stuff my hand in my pocket in frustration. I want to ask her! I want to reassure her that it's her who I'm attracted to. It's her. For a long time, it's been her...

I must be coming down with something because my face is on fire by the time I reach my house. There is a bubbly feeling in my chest that won't disappear, and I feel kind of jittery. But it's nice. This feeling is nice. And a bit foreign. A tad familiar. And really addicting.

I walk to the kitchen and put the cake into the fridge. It's a little late to eat a piece, but even without eating, I somehow already feel full. I somehow have a sweet taste on the tip of my tongue.

I scowl at how corny that sounded. Not only am I coming down with something, but I'm slowly becoming like a schoolgirl. Why didn't I feel this way, this warm, when I realized that I like her? Is it because she likes me back? Is that the reason? Is that why I'm so happy?

I blink slowly in confusion and surprise.

I'm happy? Is this weird tingling in my chest caused by blissfulness? Is this relaxation in me, this complete waning of tension that I always carry on my shoulders, unhindered happiness?

I'm so focused on this unusual feeling—unusual because for the first time in a long, long time, I feel free from conflictions and problems—that I almost miss my dad who is quietly sitting and staring at the poster of mom. And if it weren't for my elevated mood, I would've just taken advantage of his eccentric silence and escaped to my room, but instead, I lean against the couch with folded arms and wait for him to say something.

He sighs so heavily that he almost resembles the old man I call him.

"You can't just date her, Ichigo."

As the words confront me, I know I should've just bypassed him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"She's not…" he struggles with his words, but whatever he's going to say, it doesn't matter. I'm already upset, angry to the point where I don't think I could hear him if he did say something. And each time his words repeat in my head, I grow angrier because how dare he disapprove of my relationship. How dare he disapprove of _her_.

"It's none of your business who I date." I barely keep my voice in check.

He frowns as he stands. "It is my business, Ichigo. You are my son." He speaks so soundlessly that my anger dwindles down only to be enflamed by his next words.

"She's not good for you."

At that moment, there are three things that I want to do: The first is to laugh because he's being ridiculous. The second is to hurt him because he looks serious. And the last thing is to tell him he's wrong.

But instead of correcting him that it's _me_ who is not good for _her_ , instead of throwing a punch, I just press my lips together and seethe up the stairs, mindfully trying my best to keep quiet as to not wake Karin and Yuzu.

Although I'm silent, I can't quiet down my reiatsu. Just like my emotions, it has a mind of its own, and it doesn't take long for that familiar ache to spread all over my body. And as it gets stronger, I know I have to calm down, but I can't. I'm just not able to do that because I can't understand why he's not happy for me. I can't understand why he's not offering me embarrassing congratulations. I don't know why he's condemning my relationship.

Does he not like her? It seems impossible, but…not once has he made a comment about Inoue being his third daughter like he did with Rukia. And maybe that means nothing, maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it's the only reason I can think of that would justify he's reaction to me dating Inoue.

He just doesn't like her.

I grind my teeth as the ache becomes more painful.

Why? Why doesn't he like her? Why couldn't he see Inoue like everyone else sees her? See how good she is to everyone and for everyone?

Why can't he see her like I see her?

And with that thought, the ache suddenly fades, and my jaw unclenches as a laugh passes my teeth. I run a hand through my hair as I fall onto my bed.

Who cares if he doesn't like her? _I_ like her. It doesn't matter if he can't see her because I can. It does hurt a little that he doesn't approve, but it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't change my feelings for her. It wouldn't affect my relationship with her, either.

Wait. Wait! Did I get ahead of myself?! Are Inoue and I really dating? Sure, we confessed to each other. We like each other but does that necessarily mean we are dating? We didn't discuss it, but it's implied, right? Right?!

I turn over and bury my face into my pillow.

I was so confident that we were going to be together, but what if that's not going to happen? What if the fight I had with my dad is moot because Inoue and I aren't dating?

No. We are probably dating. I'm just working myself into a tizzy because I'm anxious about seeing her tomorrow. I'm nervous about how our dynamic is going to be. I'm excited to be by her side. And I'm scared…scared because happiness hasn't always been a faithful companion to me, but I'm hopeful. Hopeful and happy.


	32. Heroine

A/N: Another short chapter, I know, but I couldn't help it! So a lot of you were wondering why Isshin's reaction was so disconcerting. Well, if you want to know now, you can read my one-shot "History Repeats." If you don't want to know, and you want to live in confusion and suspense like Ichigo, I suggest avoiding the one-shot. I'll eventually be explaining what's happening.

Also, I just created a new one-shot called "Attentive." I've been waiting to publish it because it deals with this chapter.

Wait. One more thing! I think I'm going to create a NSWF AU. I can't get the idea out of my head, so I'm sorry! If you want to know the general idea of it, check my tumblr. It's there. My tumblr is the same as my fanfiction user name.

Anyways, please keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying! And a big thank you to all the people who continuously leave me reviews!

* * *

Still, I have trouble falling and staying asleep. The anticipation, with a hint of uncertainty, had me tossing and turning through the night. But instead of feeling tired, I feel alert. It's like I have this surge of energy, pure electricity, running through me, energizing me in a constant loop, battling any exhaustion.

I wonder how she's feeling?

I snort just thinking about how she reacted yesterday, and then I run a hand through my hair when I a feel a jolt— a jolt of what I have no idea—at the idea that I caused such a response in her. Which then makes me sigh because she's causing this reaction in me without even being here. I can't even begin to imagine what'll I feel, what'll I do when I see her.

With that prospect, I start to get ready for school.

There's no wake-up call from dad, but I didn't expect one. I'm glad that he's keeping his distance, too. It's not like our fight would turn into an all-out war. I couldn't be mad forever that he's not being supportive, that he doesn't like Inoue because it's how he feels, but for right now, I'm still pissed at him, and I'm not sure if I can restrain my anger like I did last night.

Once I'm dressed, I head downstairs. My sisters are already in the kitchen, eating. I greet them while I walk toward a cabinet and pull out a container. I grab a knife and set it on the counter. I head to the fridge and pull out the cake box and then place it next to the things I just retrieved.

I slide the cover back, and I carefully cut out a piece of the cake, trying to keep it intact. I slowly move the piece into the container, feeling proud that I managed to maintain the cake's shape. I add two strawberries before I seal the container.

"What's in the box, Onii-chan?"

I pause in my actions before answering her. "Cake."

"Is that from Orihime-chan—"

I spin around as I eye Yuzu. "What?"

She looks taken aback. "I was asking if the cake is from Orihime-chan's bakery…"

"Oh." I turn back to the cake in front of me. "Yeah. You can have a piece if you want."

"So you bought it? You didn't get it from somebody?"

"Karin-chan!"

I lean against the counter, eyeing the both of them.

"You looked inside already."

Karin has this smirk plastered on her face while Yuzu looks ashamed.

"I-I didn't mean to! I was getting the ingredients for breakfast and I," she begins to ramble.

"It's alright. I'm not mad." I rub the back of my neck. "The cake was gift."

They both look expectant. They are waiting for me to say a name, and I would tell them. I would, but I don't think I could handle it if they had the same reaction as dad. And I know that they probably wouldn't. I know they like Inoue, but I don't want to risk it.

"From someone important," I add, cutting off Karin's impending question.

She seems disappointed with my answer, which causes me to sigh.

"I'll introduce her to the both of you soon, alright?" They both nod.

"Have we met her before?" Karin asks.

I stare at her for a second before grabbing the container and my lunch. "Nice try."

I start to leave the kitchen.

"What about breakfast?"

"Thanks, Yuzu, but I'm not really hungry." I grab my things and put on my shoes. "I'll see you two later."

Yuzu says her goodbye as I open the door. As I close the door behind me, though, I can hear Karin telling me to have fun with my girlfriend and Yuzu shushing her.

I barely manage to suppress a laugh at their antics; I can't say the same to the rush of blood that fills my cheeks at the "girlfriend" comment.

"You are a little early today."

I glance up to see Mizuiro leaning against the wall.

"Oh, Mizuiro. Morning." I walk over to him, and we begin heading to school. "Yeah. I couldn't sleep."

"Were your ears bothering you, too? I think we stood too close to the stage last night..."

I shake my head. "My ears are fine."

"That's right. You and Chad were a bit further away. Lucky you," he comments as he types something on his phone. "But we could have used you two yesterday."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't get mad, okay?" I make him no promise. "Although she said that it was an accident, I think someone, you know, groped Inoue-san."

My temper flares dangerously. "What?!"

"Woah! Easy, Ichigo! It happened once before we formed a square around her. After that, she was fine. I'm just saying it would've been easier with Chad's size or your glare to keep people away. Not to mention it would've saved me an earful from Keigo. He was claiming that he was Inoue-san's protector after you two left."

"I wish you told me yesterday. I would've beaten that pervert up," I growl.

"Arisawa-san had that department taken care of, if that makes you feel better," he offers.

It does a bit, but I'm still angry. But there's nothing I can do about it except make sure that it'll never happen again.

"Well, thanks for taking care of her. And for telling me. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have."

"It's alright. I like her," he begins. "Not in that way," he finishes quickly. "You know I'm only into older women. I just meant that I like her as a friend. She's nice."

I don't know why he felt the need to elaborate. I wasn't glaring at him or anything, but I let my question go unasked. "That she is."

"Say…do you know why she was so nervous?"

"When?"

"Last night. After the concert ended, she became fidgety. Do you know why?"

I look away.

I did know. She was nervous because she was going to confess. But I can't tell him that. It's embarrassing. Instead, I shrug my shoulders.

"I guess it was nothing then. She seems fine. Happy," he comments.

"Huh?"

I follow his line of vision, and I see her waiting next to the school gate, her face facing upwards to the sky with a small smile that only grows when she looks our way. That only grows wider as her eyes meet mine.

My forearm moves to cover my face.

"Good morning, Kojima-kun!" She greets in her bubbly way. She turns toward me. "Morning, Kurosaki-kun," she says shyly before glancing down at her shoes.

Shit.

"What are you doing out here, Inoue-san? It's cold."

She gives him a soft smile with red cheeks as she replies, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

Shit!

"I actually feel very warm," she clarifies while her eyes find mine again.

Shit! How can she do that?! How can she say something so embarrassing like it's normal?! How is she short-circuiting my brain!?

How is she making my heart beat so fast?

I scowl as I tell myself to get it together. If I thought I was acting like a schoolgirl yesterday, then I'm acting like the heroine in a shojou manga today!

"Let's head inside. You'll get sick if you stay out here too long," I tell her as I walk forward.

She falls into step beside me, and damn, maybe she's right. Maybe it's not really cold. Maybe it's hot outside because I feel overheated.

"I told you, Kurosaki-kun. I don't get sick."

"What about last year?"

She blushes and pouts. "That…that was just a fluke!"

Ah. This is better. It feels better when I'm teasing her than it does when I'm being teased by her. Because when she says those embarrassing things and looks at me with those gentle eyes of hers and smiles at me, I feel like I can't function right. It feels like I'm losing control.

I chuckle as she mumbles something under her breath.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing! I didn't say anything!"

And this is it. This is my chance to become the male protagonist again rather than the heroine.

I lean a bit closer to her. Close enough that I won't be overheard.

"I'm glad this isn't a dream, too."

I straighten up and walk forward. She stops walking altogether. I look over my shoulder. She's flushed red. I laugh quietly. I focus on her for too long…and I walk into the door.

As I fall onto my ass, I think maybe it would be better if this were a dream.


	33. One Day

A/N: While writing this chapter, I just wanted to walk away from all the awkwardness! I know from now on, at least for the beginning, it'll be a lot of cringe-worthy moments. So keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!

Also, I'll be really busy for the next two weeks, so I'm sorry if I don't update in that time. I'll try, but no promises.

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"No one saw," she reassures.

I don't respond as I walk her to her class.

"Really. And even if they did, you shouldn't be embarrassed. You were so funny!"

I frown while I look at her.

She smiles. "You're so tall, so when you fell, it was like a tree falling." She laughs, and she cups her hands around her mouth. "I wanted to yell, 'Timber!'"

I groan. "Well, I'm glad you find me so humorous."

She starts giggling again, and I can feel my face soften. But for the life of me, I can't tell if it's because the embarrassment is finally dissipating or if it's because I like her whimsical laughter. Or if it's because of the fact that I'm the one making her smile.

Maybe my sarcastic comment is not so sarcastic. Maybe I'm being genuine.

"I found it funny, too," Mizuiro chips in quietly.

I scowl, and I'm about to make a snarky remark before I hear a grating yell of my name down the hall. I can only sigh as Keigo comes closer to us, and I plan to block the crazy guy from getting too close, but it's not needed because Inoue steps forward and greets Keigo. He stops running, and he blushes and bows as he greets her back. I snort at how tamed he's become.

"How are you feeling, Inoue-san?"

"Me? I'm doing—"

I can't hear the rest of her response because an arm wraps around my neck, and I'm dragged away.

"Oi! Let me go!" I struggle to get out of the grip, but her arm tightens.

"Not yet, you punk. We gotta have a little talk."

Tatsuki tugs me down, so I'm forced into a hunched over position.

"About what?" I ask with unveiled irritation.

"Did you already forget our conversation from yesterday?"

I glance up. Mizuiro and Keigo are gone, and my eyes move to Inoue who is now excitedly talking to Chad, and I start to remember what words were exchanged between Tatsuki and I.

I click my tongue in annoyance. "You really have no faith in me."

She strengthens the headlock, and then she rubs her fist against my scalp. I flinch at the stinging pain.

"Are you kidding?" She asks incredulously. "You do know that I'm only okay with Orihime dating if she's dating you, right?"

I look down. My hair hides the surprise in my eyes.

"So take care of her." She lets me go, and I stand up straight. She gives a smirk as she punches me hard on the arm. "And congratulations."

I watch as she walks over to the other two. I see her pet Inoue on the head as Inoue wraps her arms around Tatsuki's neck, and all of this is done with so much affection that a warm feeling spreads all over me. And it's because to Inoue, Tatsuki is basically her everything, and Inoue's everything just gave me her blessing. And hearing Tatsuki's approval means a lot to me, and honestly, it's the kind of acceptance I was expecting to get from my dad last night. But some expectations are just expectations. They're not reality, and yeah, it's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world, either.

Inoue, still clinging to Tatsuki, gives me this wide smile that pulls me from my thoughts and draws me closer. As I get nearer, I can see Tatsuki struggling to pull Inoue off while Inoue holds on tighter, saying that she won't let go.

"What's going on here?" I ask with a bit of humor in my tone.

"Tatsuki-chan is being too cute!" Inoue squeals in glee.

Tatsuki grunts, and she tries harder to peel Inoue off her.

"Arisawa-san was," Chad begins to explain before he's cut off by Tatsuki's glare.

"I was doing nothing!"

Inoue giggles at Tatsuki's denial.

"Really cute," she repeats before dropping her arms. I let out a curt laugh.

Tatsuki's nose wrinkles in distaste at the compliment. She then gains this wicked smile.

"Come on, Sado. Let's leave the new couple to talk alone."

Her words have the intended effect that she wanted: we both blush.

She ushers Chad away from us, leaving behind an awkward silence.

"She…she meant us, right?"

"Yeah." I pause with unease. "You're not misunderstanding, right?" I ask hesitantly. "We're not a couple of people. We are a _couple_ ," I stress embarrassingly. I want to make sure that we don't have a repeat of yesterday, that she and I are on the same page. That we want the same thing.

She hums. "I understand. Because I like _like_ you, and you like _like_ me," she clarifies.

I run a hand down my heated face. "That's true, but don't say it so…so bluntly!"

Her eyes widen like she just realized what she just said.

"Oh, I didn't mean…well, I did mean, but I…" She lets out a huff before covering her face and rushing forward.

She doesn't get far. I reach out and gently grab her sweater, keeping her in place until she calms down enough to look over her shoulder. She peers at me with red cheeks and a slight pout.

"I'm embarrassed," she admits.

I chuckle softly. "So am I." And that seems to sooth her because she grins.

I let her go, and I move until we are side-by-side.

We start to walk toward her class again.

"So…did you like the cake?"

I look at her briefly. She's looking down as she picks at her sweater.

"I didn't get to try it yet, but I'm planning to eat some at lunch." She smiles up at me, and I take a deep breath. "I brought a large piece. Do you want some?"

"Now?"

"Not now," I chuckle. "At lunch."

"Eh? You want to share? With me?" I resist the urge to look away. Instead, I stare into her eyes and nod.

I'm rewarded. Her face lights up.

"Okay!" We near her class. "I'll see you at lunch, then!"

"See you."

She skips to her seat, sits down, and waves goodbye at me. I give a small wave to her and a quick nod to Chad before leaving for my own class.

Ishida is already sitting down when I arrive, and when I pass him to get to my desk, I hear a condescending snicker, indicating he knows that I fell earlier. I glare at him, warning him to keep his snide comments in his head. And when I hear soft laughter around me, I send everyone else the same nonverbal warning.

It becomes quiet after that, and class follows shortly after.

Through the lecture and the individual classwork, I can't stop myself from moving. My fingertips drum against the desk. My heel rhythmically meets the floor. My arm keeps turning towards me so I can look at my watch. My forehead creases as my scowl becomes more defined when the time doesn't pass as quickly as it should.

And these actions, these anticipatory nerves feel so weird. So enigmatic because they are newly formed and raw. Or maybe they have always been in me. Have always existed in a dormant state, and it is only now that that part of me is becoming active. Like I'm slowly becoming more alive. And maybe that familiar stranger was no stranger at all. That stranger was, is, a part of me that became activated. Became animated because of Inoue, became functional for her.

If that's the truth, I should thank her one day. Because I have a feeling that if I don't tell her outright, straightforwardly, she won't ever realize the effect she has on me. She won't ever be able to see how she affects me.

But not today. Making such a vulnerable confession of that caliber seems a little premature. Besides, I want to take our new relationship slowly, and I'm very eager to experience everything it has to offer.

So when it's finally lunch, I stride to the roof without waiting for Ishida or anybody. Which is why I'm the first one to arrive, and I take the moments alone to pry open the container that holds the cake. To my relief, the slice managed to remain unscathed from my fall.

I put it beside me with my other things, leaving the left side of me unoccupied.

Keigo is the first to show up. He tries to sit in the free space I left next to me, but an unexplained glare sends him retreating and complaining to Mizuiro who walks through the door.

Ishida comes next, and he sends me a questioning stare in my direction which I ignore. He sits across from me.

Chad materializes from the staircase, and he takes a seat next to Ishida, and I know she'll be close by. I can feel her joyful reiatsu approaching.

She and Tatsuki arrive together. She is all smiles, and she says her usual hellos, saving me for last. But unlike this morning when she greeted me quietly, shyly, she overcompensates and yells my name. It's a bit to robust than her usual cheerfulness, for she covers her mouth with her hand and bows, embarrassed at her volume.

Everyone laughs it off while I bite back an urge to tease her. If I'm not careful, teasing her will become my favorite activity. But it won't be my favorite thing about her, if I'm allowed to have one. Because my favorite part of her will always be her smile, which at this moment, is hidden behind her hair as she sits beside me.

And now it's my turn to laugh because the way she sits down is so awkward and clumsy that she nearly topples over. She sits close but not too close to me, and she starts fidgeting; her actions remind me of that one time I invited her up to my room. She had been squirming around like she was nervous, just like she is doing now, and I wonder if maybe, just maybe, she liked me then.

I'll ask her later. When we are alone.

No one comments on her behavior. We just divulge into our group dynamic, although I'm hyperaware of her presence, and I try to keep an eye on her while we eat. I want to know the second she finishes.

When she does, which is after me because I gobbled my food down, I hand her a plastic fork and the container. She blushes a pretty pink, and she gives me a questioning look. I prompt her to open it without words, trying to not draw attention, and she gets the message because she opens the container, and I observe her expression closely. And intently. And openly. And oh…one day, I'll tell her what she does to me. One day.


	34. Behave

A/N: Hello! I'm back! And with the help of Bleachfanficfanatic, I present this new chapter, which is, in my opinion, meh, but the next one will be hella cute! And can I just say that I love, **love,** an awkward yet semi-confident Ichigo?! Anyways, keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!

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I didn't expect such a response from her. The simple gesture, a poor imitation of her own confession, shouldn't have made her eyes soften or glisten with happiness. It shouldn't have made her smile the way she did. Most of all, her reactions shouldn't have made my insides shift so restlessly, but it does. And it only gets worse when she briefly glances up to meet my eyes.

"It's…" I begin. "I didn't know if you were going to need proof that last night happened, so I just," I clear my throat, "you know, took some precautions."

"You didn't have to go to such trouble," she says softly while she looks down.

I snort. "Same to you. You didn't have to make it in the first place."

Her head snaps up, and her eyes widen.

"But I did! The other times I tried to tell you didn't work!"

"Other times?" I ask with confusion. Her face becomes redder, and she presses her lips together while her eyes squeezes shut.

She's embarrassed.

I repress a smirk as she starts to fidget again. To tease, or not to tease…it's a difficult choice to make, but I decide not to repeat my question. For now, at least, I'll behave myself.

I stretch my legs out and recline back on my hands.

"Are you going to try it?"

She nods her head with enthusiasm, but her hand stills, and her fork hovers over the cake.

"What's wrong?"

Her eyebrows pull together as if in concentration.

"I want to eat it..."

"But?"

"But I want to keep staring at it," she finishes.

I chuckle when I notice that she's starting to pout due to her conundrum.

I reach for my phone, and I lean closer to her. She stiffens, probably surprised, but I focus on steadying my hand as I take a picture of the piece. I move back while I send the picture to her, satisfied when I hear a small chime come from her own phone.

"Now you'll always have it. And so will I," I tell her.

She grins.

"Go on and eat," I prompt.

"I _did_ make it for you, so I think you should have the first taste." She holds the container out for me.

I take my own fork, and I take a piece of the edge, carefully maneuvering so I don't disturb the _ **I like you.**_ I move the fork to my mouth, trying to not be bothered by her vigilant eyes, but I can feel heat rise in me.

"Don't look at me like that. You're making me…nervous."

She snaps her head down, offering an apology. But she still peeks under her hair. She is still watching me.

So much for being sorry.

Despite the unnerving feeling of being watched, I part my lips and take the cake into my mouth.

"It's good," I mumble around the fork.

"Really?!" She asks with excitement. I nod my head as I pull the fork away to go for another piece.

It really is more than good. The cake is moist, light, but at the same time, the flavors are dark. Like she used sweet but bitter dark cocoa for the mix. And the frosting is a perfect mixture of vanilla and milk chocolate.

I never tasted anything better in my life.

"So you like it?"

I hum as a piece of cake melts in my mouth.

"Try some."

She does with some hesitation, as if I am lying to her.

"It _is_ good!"

"Well, don't sound so surprised."

"But I am!"

"Didn't you—"

"Eh? Eh?!" We look over at Keigo who's pointing at me. "What's going on? Why are you sharing food so intimately with Inoue-san?!"

"They're dating," Mizuiro announces causally. "Did you not know that?"

Keigo turns towards him. "You're kidding, right? Right?" He looks back at Inoue and I. "Right?!" He's almost pleading at this point.

His answer comes in the form of a bashful smile from Inoue and a scowl from me. We are both blushing, too.

"No way." He shakes his head. "There's no way! It's got to be a joke."

"It's not a joke," Tatsuki intervenes.

"Did you put her under some kind of spell? Drug her? Blackmail her? Threaten her?" He accusingly asks.

I glare. "No, I didn't."

"You fiend! Betrayer! You asked her out! How could you?" He yells as he paces in his usual annoyingly loud way.

But today, I'm more bothered by it, but before I can shout at him, Inoue speaks up.

"A-ano, Asano-kun?" She interjects quietly while the fork presses against her bottom lip. We all look at her, and she blushes under the attention. "I actually asked Kurosaki-kun out…"

It becomes quiet for a second. And then we hear Keigo's footsteps as he walks toward the railing.

"A dream. This must be a dream. A nightmare." He mutters as he grasps the railing. He slings one leg over it. "A horrible nightmare. I need to wake up!" He cries theatrically.

I roll my eyes. Inoue gasps in worry. Mizuiro pulls Keigo back with exasperation.

It goes back to quiet except for Keigo's exaggerated sobbing.

"How pathetic."

I turn my glare to Ishida who is now pushing his glasses up.

"The hell did you just say?"

"You made Inoue-san confess first. Truly pathetic of you, Kurosaki."

I scowl.

Tatsuki chortles. "I agree. You are such a weakling, Ichigo. Poor Orihime was going out of her mind with worry about confessing and being rejected."

My scowl deepens.

"No, I wasn't," Inoue denies quietly.

"Such a coward," Ishida directs at me.

"I was going to confess," I snap, defensive from all the attacks. "Eventually, I would've confessed." I look into her wide eyes. "Really, I would've."

She nods her head slowly before her face turns a deep vermillion color.

"There is no God!" Keigo blubbers.

"Congratulations," Chad offers with a small smile to me.

"Congrats, you two. It's about time," Mizuiro states as he shrugs off Keigo who has been trying to cry on his shoulder.

"You're telling me," Tatsuki remarks. "I feel like I aged twenty years waiting for them to get together."

Inoue laughs. "You look really good for 37," she compliments.

Tatsuki wrinkles her nose and glares at me.

"You've been dating her for less than a day, and you're already a bad influence on her! She's become so cheeky!"

"That's not my fault!"

"Take responsibility!"

"No!"

"Tatsuki-chan's old age has made her angrier," Inoue jokes, feeding into Tatsuki's outrage.

"Oi!" Tatsuki reaches over and pinches Inoue's cheeks, pulling them. "So cheeky!"

"Tatsuki!" Inoue whines in pain.

"Let her go. You're being too harsh on her!"

She lets go as she stands up. "This punk is trying to tell me how to educate Orihime again!"

"'Educate', my ass!" I jump up.

Tatsuki grabs my shirt. "I will _not_ educate your ass!"

"What?! Did you not hear the comma, you idiot?"

"You're the idiot!"

Inoue starts laughing, and Tatsuki and I look at her.

"No fair." Tatsuki mumbles under her breath as her grip weakens.

I don't even need to ask to know what her comment is referring to. I already know. It's about Inoue and her disarming laughter. After all, it's very difficult to stay mad when Inoue is smiling.

I sit back down next to her.

"Our friends are a handful."

"Yup!" She cheerily agrees.

"Don't talk like we are not even here!" Tatsuki complains.

The bells rings, and I sigh in relief.

"Let's go, Inoue. I'll walk you to your class."

"You don't ha—"

I give her a look.

She stops and grins. "Okay!" She grabs her things and jumps up. I stand, and I take the container from her hands. She shyly smiles and thanks me as we start to walk toward the door, which I open and hold for her. She thanks me again.

"Gross. Seeing a chivalrous Ichigo is disgusting," Tatsuki insults. I send her a glare over my shoulder.

"Yeah," Keigo agrees with a sniffle. "But at least they seem happy."

My glare melts as I close the door behind me. I stare at her as she walks down the stairs before she turns her head and gives me a huge grin.

"Hey!" I call out to her. "Look where you going!"

Her smile grows as she shakes her head.

I groan.

"Tatsuki's right. You are cheeky."

She laughs and turns forward, listening to my order. Kind of. There's a spring in her step that just screams recklessness, and I take the stairs two at a time to catch up to her side. Once I'm next to her, I see her hands covering her blushing face.

I look behind us. There's no one. And there's no one in front of us. Which means one thing: we are alone. We're alone, and I don't have to behave anymore.

I smirk.

"So…what were you saying about 'other times?'"


	35. Luck

A/N: My lovely fans! Although I love all the comments I get, the recent one with the song lyrics is either creepy or flattering. I can't tell. Someone explain it to me because it haunts me. Anyways, cuteness will be a common element from now on for the next few chapters, so keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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The sudden question causes her to blush and stumble. My hand instinctively reaches out, but she manages to brace herself on the wall.

"You okay?"

She nods. She then starts looking around, her eyes moving everywhere.

"Inoue…are you avoiding my question?"

She stiffens and shakes her head.

I chuckle. "So you're going to answer me?"

She glances up in worry before a large smile over takes her face.

It's my turn to be cautious.

"I'll answer yours if you answer mine first."

My eyes narrow in suspicion.

"What question?"

She slightly tilts her head towards me, a tiny smile playing on her lips.

"How…how would you have confessed?"

It's my turn to stumble and blush.

"Uh," I start only to stop. Her inquiry is an innocent one. I did say that I would've confessed. It's only natural for her to be curious, but I never really thought about the _how_. How would I have done it?

Not only do I not have an answer, but it's embarrassing enough just to think of one.

"I take my question back," I finish after a long pause.

"Oh."

I look at her expression, and although she tries to hide it, she is noticeably despondent.

I can feel a scowl forming as I swallow my reservations. What's a little embarrassment if it means that she'll be happy?

"I don't really know how," I tell her honestly as we walk. I avoid eye contact with her. "I just know that I would've gotten tired."

"Tired of what?" She whispers.

My empty hand curls up into a fist.

"Of pretending." I steal a brief glance at her face. "I would've gotten tired of pretending that being your friend, being just your friend, was enough for me."

Suddenly, she moves and presses herself against a wall. I stop walking.

"Inoue?"

She holds up her hand as if to stop me from approaching her.

"Don't," she begins in a quivering voice. "Please don't look at me."

I ignore her as I inch closer.

"Why? What's wrong?"

She probably hears the concern in my voice because she looks over her shoulder.

Her face is completely red.

It doesn't take long for my own face to mirror the color of hers.

She moves back to my side and starts walking again. I follow suit. And it's quiet.

It's when we are in front of her classroom when she talks.

"I should've waited," she says almost soundlessly.

"I'm glad you didn't," I admit. "You know how slow I can be." She laughs, and she smiles. But I can't return it. Because something is nagging at me; the truth. "I…I might have made you wait far longer than I should've."

I expect her expression to fall, but she just smiles wider at my words as she walks pass her classroom's entry. She stops and lays a hand on the door frame. She looks back.

"You are worth waiting for."

With a secretive, enthralling smile, she walks to her desk and sits down, leaving me stunned where I stand.

How she does it, I don't know. It had been my intention to get answers, to make her flustered, and yet, there she sits. Smiling and waving me goodbye in complete serenity. And here I am. Standing and scowling in complete disarray.

I feel a hand clamp down on my shoulder.

"You'll be late if you keep glaring at her," Chad states behind me.

I give her a nod before turning to Chad.

"Not glaring," I clarify. "Just trying to see how her mind works."

His lips twitch.

"Good luck."

He leaves me with that, and I shove a hand in my pocket as I start to leave. I pause, debating if I should warn her that after school she won't be able to escape my questions or teasing, but it seems too conspicuous. Instead, I go to my class.

Good luck, he said. It's accurate. To be able to understand her, it would take luck. It's true that she usually wears her emotions on her sleeve, but what she thinks, why she thinks it, it's a complete mystery to me. And it's so easy to forget that, but her parting words…

Ishida is not back by the time I sit at my desk. There must be a hollow or something. There haven't been as much lately, which meant that I haven't been able to use the modified badge Urahara-san gave me as often as I would have liked. I did use it a couple of times last week for smaller hollows, and though it was difficult to maneuver in my human body, it felt good to fight again. It felt good to know that I _can_ fight again.

He comes in a little later, offering some excuse about student council to the sensei. He doesn't look like he fought, so maybe his excuse is the truth. I should ask him about it.

But as the class lets out, my feet walk past him to go the school's entrance. There is only one person I want to ask questions to, and it's not him.

It's not the voice that calls me in the next minute. It's Chad.

"Inoue's going to be late."

"Oh? Why?"

"She's being scolded."

I frown.

"She'll tell you when she gets out. I have to get to work."

I nod.

"See you tomorrow."

He gives a small wave before heading to his job.

Whatever she did, it must be funny because Chad could barely hold in his laughter.

She comes running towards me five minutes later, apologizing profusely.

"It's okay," I assure her.

She takes a deep breath as if she's reassured. But that state of calmness won't last long. I won't let it.

"So…" I start as I begin to walk.

"So?"

"What'd you do?"

She blushes and shakes her head like she is refusing to tell me.

I sigh.

"I guess I am a bad influence on you."

"What do you mean?" She asks, her pitch higher than usual.

"Getting scolded by a teacher is my thing."

She's quiet.

"You're not a bad influence," she announces. "But you did influence me."

My eyebrow rises.

"It's because of what you said. I couldn't concentrate!" She shouts as she grabs her head with her hands. Her bag swings next to her head. "I started daydreaming, and you know how I can get. And the sensei was calling on me, but I was too distracted to hear." Her head hangs down. "And then I started humming! In the middle of lecture!"

I laugh.

She lowers her hands.

"It's not funny!" She pouts. "Sensei was really mad!"

"It's a little funny."

She starts sulking her non-sulking way, and it's a sight in itself. But the red in her cheeks is fading fast, which means it's time for answers.

"You know, you still haven't responded to my question from earlier."

Her blush is back.

"And don't even think about playing innocent. I know you remember."

Her nose scrunches up, and I know I foiled her plan.

It takes a minute of walking in silence.

"I…I've liked you for a long time," she whispers. I move my head to watch her. She's walking with her head down. "But it's not until recently when I thought I had a chance, and so I tried to confess a few times and—"

I interrupt her.

"Who did you think I liked?"

"Huh?" Her head raises in surprise.

"You once said to Yuzu and Karin that the guy you liked had someone else in his heart, which is stupid because I don't, but who did you think I liked?"

She takes in my interruption with an array of expressions: confusion from being interrupted in the first place, pain from being reminded, offended probably because of the stupid comment, and lastly relief.

"Rukia-san."

I stop.

"Rukia?! Are you crazy?

Her eyebrows furrow.

"It's not crazy!" She defends. "Rukia-san is very important to you, and you are so close to her. And she's so wise and beautiful and kind and—"

"I see." I cross my arms over my chest. "You want me to date her."  
Panic flitters across her face.

"No! I'm just saying that you would be lucky _to_ date her!" She takes in a large breath.

"Trust me when I say that I would be very unlucky to date her."

She looks personally insulted.

"What's wrong with Rukia-san? Anyone would be lucky to be by her side! She's so funny and strong! And she is really cute when she tries to draw and her eyes are the prettiest color and—"

"Are you trying to tell me _you_ want to date her?"

She covers her red face with her bag.

I chuckle. Teasing her is getting more and more fun.

"Should I be jealous?" I ask her.

She lowers her bag so fast that she drops it on the ground.

"Should I be worried when you two hang out?" I joke.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

I stifle a laugh as I pick up her bag.

This is so much fun.

"If she tries anything, let me know. I'll kick her ass."

"You're so mean, Kurosaki-kun!"

I smirk. "Yeah, yeah." I start walking again. "If _you_ try something…" I trail off, still keeping a light tone.

"I would never!" She yells. My eyes widen, and she blushes more. "I would never do that," she says in a softer voice. "You are the only…I only like you."

I turn my head in the other direction.

There she goes again. Being so honest without any hesitations.

"Same to you," I grunt in embarrassment. "So you don't have to worry, either. Especially about Rukia. She's like an older brother slash mentor slash best friend slash," I pause, "pest."

Just like I expect, she frowns at the last comment. I laugh.

"Seriously, though, for you to even think that I would look at her in that kind of way." I shudder. And then I sigh as a hand runs through my hair. "You're the only one I look at in that way."

"Eep!"

I look back at her. She's in a crouched position.

I frown. "What?"

She sets her chin on her knees as she gazes at me. She's absolutely flushed.

"Kurosaki-kun confessed to me twice today!" She burrows her face back into her knees. "I'm so lucky~"

"W-what!? Stop saying things so bluntly!"

"Wah~"

"Don't cry!"

She sniffles. "Kurosaki-kun."

I face-palm. I've made her cry. Again.

But at least she's smiling.

She looks up.

"Oi, your nose is dripping."

"Kurosaki-kun!"

At least we are happy.


	36. A Light and Dark Feeling

A/N: Bleachfanficfanatic once again saves the day! Hip-hip-hooray! Seriously, I would still be stuck if wasn't for her. Other than that note, I've got nothing except this chapter is banter/cuteness galore! Keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

P.S. Next chapter we have some favorite characters coming back. Can anyone guess who?

* * *

"I really should start carrying handkerchiefs for you by now," I remark as she wipes her face with her sleeve.

She puffs her cheeks out.

"I don't cry that much, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Sure, you don't."

Her cheeks deflate as she frowns in thought.

"It's honestly not _that_ much," she responds a little later.

I smirk.

"Alright! New resolve! I will not cry from here on out!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

She crosses her arms before her shoulders sag down.

"You're probably right. I mean, if you keep saying cute things, I won't be able to stop from crying."

I blush and start stuttering.

"I-I've never said anything cute in my life!"

She looks surprised.

"But you just did!"

"That was not cute!"

"It was!" She claims.

"Was not!" I retort as I speed up my walking.

Her footsteps quicken.

"Our first argument." She giggles.

I scowl. The blush still hasn't left my face.

"We are not arguing."

She covers her laughs with her hands.

"A cute argument."

"It's not an argument, and it's not cute," I insist.

She grins. I sigh.

"Ah! I'm so happy!"

"About arguing?"

"So you admit it's an argument then?!" She pumps her fist in the air as a sign of victory.

I roll my eyes as she laughs.

"I'm just really happy about everything," she explains quietly after her laughter dwindles down.

Before I can brace myself to agree with her words with an embarrassing response of my own, she's running and yelling that she's going to be late. So all I can do is catch up with her as I shout for her to be careful. Which is a mistake because she turns for a second to look at me; she doesn't see the street poll as she runs into it.

Inanimate objects really have it out for us today.

She jumps back to her feet and starts running again, not fazed by her fall.

"Wait up!"

But she doesn't. She quickly maneuvers her way through the crowd, and I soon spot her making her way into the bakery.

I shake my head as I follow her. Once I'm in the shop, I take a seat at an empty table. I put our bags on the surface and wait for her to get dressed and come out.

I'm too focused on her presence that I don't notice another one until a hand slaps me hard on my back.

"I just heard the great news!" Kansuke sits across from me with a huge grin. "I honestly thought she would chicken out again." He shakes his head. "I'm glad she didn't."

I frown.

"You're glad?"

"Of course! It would've been a shame if she had to eat that cake alone." I tilt my head in confusion. He smirks. "What? Were you under the impression that I liked Orihime-chan?" He laughs. "Who do you think gave her the idea to confess by cake?"

"It was you?"

"Well, it was my wife's idea," he corrects. "I told Orihime-chan to just confess her feelings in the same way my wife did." He smiles fondly. "She yelled, 'I like you, you idiot!'" He sighs. "I never heard sweeter words."

"So you don't like Inoue?" I ask in confusion.

He smiles.

"Oh, I like her alright." I can't help the glare on my face. "She's my protégé. It'd be strange if I didn't like her."

My scowl doesn't disappear.

"Lighten up, kid! I was just trying to make you jealous to help her out. Poor girl has been pining for you since she started here."

She's been working here for almost a year. Is that how long she's liked me?

Before I can ask him for more information, Inoue comes bouncing over to us with a huge smile and a red forehead.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave the two of you alone." He gets up while giving Inoue a pat on her head. And even though he made it clear that he's married and does not like Inoue romantically, my eyes narrow.

He sees this because he smugly grins.

"You sure got yourself a jealous boyfriend, Orihime-chan."

"Boyfriend?" She stammers out.

"I'm not jealous!"

"The youth these days!" He chuckles as he walks away.

"Boyfriend," she whispers in wonderment.

I flush.

"Boyfriend." She repeats it as if she's testing how it sounds. And each time I hear it come from her mouth, my heart beats just a bit harder.

"O-oi! Stop saying it."

"Boyfriend." She giggles.

Again, my heart beats just a bit faster.

"My boyfriend~"

And a bit louder.

"Don't," I clear my throat. "Don't you have to start working?"

That seems to snap her out of her stupor because she rushes off, leaving me with an erratic heart and an overheated face.

I look down at the table, trying to calm myself, but it doesn't work. I can't. Because she likes it. A lot. She likes the idea that I'm her boyfriend. She might even like it more than just the idea of us dating because it seems as if she likes that I'm hers in some kind of way. And damn, I **like** it that she likes it. More than I probably should. But the thought that she might be possessive, possessive over me, it has my stomach clenching.

I've been needed before. I was needed to save, to protect, to just be there, anywhere. I like being needed. It's who I am. It's in my DNA. But to be wanted? For someone, no, for her to want to stake some kind of claim on me is something different. Something entirely other that it changes the light, airy feeling I've had in my chest since yesterday into something darker, heavier. And because it's new, because the feeling is denser, I shy away from it. I label it as dangerous and focus back on her.

She's smiling. That's not out of the ordinary, but as I rest my face in my palm, I hear some chatter. Something about how Inoue is in a really good mood, and as I hear that, my face turns more into my palm as I feel my lips curl up. But I can't hide the relaxation of the muscles in my forehead nor can I ignore the return of that light feeling because it puts me more at ease.

I watch as she finishes serving someone, which is how our eyes meet so easily, and when they do, her smile grows wider, and she waves. Waves with too much movement because she somehow smacks one of her coworkers on the head.

I stand, letting out a chuckle as I grab our bags. I walk to the register, and I put her bag on the counter and wait for her to finish apologizing. It takes a good minute before her coworker convinces Inoue that it's okay before she makes her way over to me.

"I never knew how much I distract you until today."

She blushes, and I can tell that a denial is already at the tip of her tongue.

"You-you don't!"

"Uh-huh," I agree unconvincingly as I look pointedly at the red mark on her forehead.

She blushes, and I smirk.

"Well, to avoid any more incidents, I think I'll take my leave."

She frowns and that dark feeling comes back as I realize that she doesn't want me to go.

"Really?" She asks with disappointment.

"Yeah." She pouts and that feeling starts to spread. "Believe it or not, I, too, have a job. And according to Tatsuki, it seems I've been skipping too much recently." Her pout doesn't disappear and that feeling just gets more powerful. "I guess you distract me, too."

She lights up with my teasing, and finally, that feeling transforms back to being light.

"I'll see you later, okay? Call me if you need me, though," I instruct. She nods.

I turn, but she tells me to wait. I see her go to the back room. She zooms out of there with a box which she hands me.

"For Ikumi-san and Kaoru-chan. Tell them I'm sorry for stealing you away for so long."

I stare down at the box while a rush of heat settles in my face. I want to tell her that it's not really stealing me away if I want to be at the bakery with her, but the words don't sound like me in the least so I keep my mouth shut. I just thank her and leave.

Work is uneventful. Lots of nagging that only decreases when I hand Ikumi-san Inoue's gift. Kaoru likes the treats a bit too much, but I don't dwell on it for too long. I've weeks of hours to catch up on, and Ikumi-san doesn't waste another second as she sends me out to complete task after task.

By the time I arrive to pick up Inoue, I have a small ache in my shoulders from lifting boxes, but as she bounds my way, the ache becomes faint, more so when she greets me.

"How was your first day back?" She asks.

"A pain. But a necessary pain."

She tilts her head in confusion.

"I'm going to need a lot of money to feed you," I comment, hoping she'll get the reference to the old man from yesterday.

"Eh? Feed me?"

"What?" I laugh at her expression. "I'm not completely dense, Inoue. I know being together means dates."

"You want to… _date_ me?"

I rub my neck.

"Geez." I sigh in feigned exasperation. "Should I get you one of Yuzu's manga? To show you what happens after a confession?"

She blushes as her eyebrows draw together.

"I know what happens," she insists. "It's just…it seems so normal that it seems so…weird."

I nod in understanding. To go from constant battle to this is quite the leap. Although, to go from friends to something more is, somehow, more of a jump.

"Good weird?"

She grins and laughs.

"Fantastic weird," she answers back honestly.

"Good."

"Good."

It's quiet after that as we walk. Nothing awkward about it. It's compatible silence that we sometimes had when we were just friends, and it's a relief that we are still able to have that when we are now a couple.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you read Yuzu-chan's mangas?"

I look at her. She looks at me. It's quiet.

"Well, I got to go. See you at school, Inoue."

I turn and walk away, leaving her next to her apartment complex. Leaving her to laugh at the bottom of her staircase.

"Bye, Kurosaki-kun! See you tomorrow!" She yells with hints of mirth surrounding each word.

Without looking back, I send her a small wave. There's no way I'm showing her how embarrassed I look right now. Even though it might be worth it to see her smile again. But I'll see her soon enough. I'll see her tomorrow.

At least, that is what I thought.


	37. Hindsight

A/N: These next few chapters will be lacking in explicit Ichihime which sucks, and they might be boring. I so want to write their first date, but unfortunately, I have to include other aspects of Bleach that I've imagined and set up for this story (some of the things that are made canon from the new novels matched up with my vision, and for that, I'm excited!). And I might've mislead you all. I meant a character from Bleach will be making an appearance; although, Rukia and Renji will be showing up again sooner or later. But no, this character…well let's see if anyone can guess.

* * *

Honestly, I should've known. Looking back, it's pretty obvious. But that's hindsight. It's only crystal clear when it's already too late. And somehow, that's always what I am: too late. Especially when it comes to her.

My only excuse is that I was distracted. It's true, anyways. I've been distracted. I had been so busy, so entrapped in relishing the strange new feelings of liking her. So gone in her smiles, so wrapped up in her presence that all I could do was focus on her.

And maybe that's how I know something's wrong. Because even in my dream, in my unconscious state, I can feel something is wrong. But what's interesting, my body knows the cause first. It starts with the rapid drumming of my heart and then the incapability to breathe correctly and then the breaking out in cold sweat. And when I finally wake up from my nightmare, I am left to play catch up with what my body knows.

But I'm still too slow. My mind is foggy, hindered, but my body understands. It understands because I'm suddenly standing, and my hand is grasping my badge that is now a sword. And it's beeping, and it's glowing a bright red color and repeating one word: warning. And I know on some level that I should calm down. Reel in my reiatsu, but I can't. My body is reacting on its own from some unknown reason.

Then, all of a sudden, I know. I know because I've experienced this already. Years ago, I've felt the same confusion, felt the same unexplainable distress. I've felt all of it before.

She's gone. I try to sense her, but I can't. And I hope it's just because my spiritual pressure is too strong that it's interfering, but even I know that's a lie. No, she is gone. Disappeared…Kidnapped.

"That's some dangerous reiatsu you're releasing, Kurosaki-san. You're reaching the limit."

My head snaps toward my opened window. Instead of seeing Toshiro telling me to follow him, it's Urahara-san. And he's not happy.

I glance down at the blade which is now growing hot, and it looks like steam is coming out of the tip, burning me as it curls around my arm.

I try to let the handle go, but it remains firmly in my hand.

"There are two choices right now, Kurosaki-san: either you learn to control yourself or you let your own reiatsu decimate you. Don't worry. I've made it so that when you've reached the threshold, your reiatsu will release in a controlled explosion only affecting you. Of course, the effect is death. So choose. Now!"

He makes it sound so easy. It is anything but. Because she's gone. Again. She's somewhere far away. Somewhere I don't know and can't reach, and here I am. Without her. Powerless, helpless, and lost.

"Killing yourself won't get her back."

Ah. Those are the words that I need to hear. I don't need long explanations. I don't need threats. I need to hear that I can save her and bring her back to where she belongs.

I take a deep breath, taking comfort in the fact that she won't be gone for long. I let the breath go as I picture her smiling face. And finally, the steam retreats and the red color fades and the warning indicator quietens.

"I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't know you had it in you."

I point the cooled blade at him.

"I won't die until she's here and safe. So tell me where she is."

"Follow me."

He drops from my window, and I follow suit.

It's quiet as we walk to his shop. There are so many questions I want to ask, but the more I think, the more at risk I am to lose control again. And I can't afford that luxury. Right now, I have to be composed.

He leads me to his basement, and he jumps down, walking to stand by Tessai who is holding something in his hand.

I descend down the stairs, and I hear Urahara-san chanting a familiar incantation, and by the time I reach them, Urahara-san is opening a Garganta.

I step closer to it.

"Why is she in Hueco Mundo?"

He doesn't respond, and I turn around.

His hat is blocking his eyes, but his jaw is set like he is grinding his teeth. Even for me, I can tell that he is upset about something. What that something is remains a mystery to me.

"Urahara-san?"

I don't see how it happens exactly. One second I'm looking at him, trying to decipher what's going on. In the next second, I'm in the portal in my Shinigami form, and my body is being held by Tessai on the other side.

The Garganta is slowly starting to close, but I see Urahara glance up at me. His eyes lock with mine, and they are hard, stoic, and made of steel.

"Whatever happens, whatever you hear, don't react. For her sake."

Before I can respond, the opening disappears, and I can't focus on his words for too long because I have a mission. I have to retrieve Inoue from whomever took her. I have to.

But even with my resolve, my reiatsu doesn't pave a smooth path for me. Now that I'm finally in my Shinigami form, I'm releasing much more spiritual pressure than I had been earlier. It's nothing compared to the strength that I had when facing Yhwach. I think he took a great deal of my powers before I defeated him, but still, the reiatsu I have left is enough that Urahara-san decision to put me under certain conditions was and is the right choice.

However, it feels good. To be in this form feels right. And no longer do I feel powerless. I feel that I will be able to face anything, and I feel confident again. I will cut down anything or anyone who gets in my way, and I will protect her. And I guess that's another thing which resembles the last time she was forcefully taken here. My will to save her, to protect her, has not changed. Or if it has, the need has only grown.

I jump from the Garganta.

"Wait for me, Inoue."

"You're always so predictable, Kurosaki!"

"?!"


	38. A Warning

A/N: So I am technically on a hiatus until June 5. I should've told you all, but I just kept putting it off, so I decided to binge write this chapter (it's boring, in my opinion, but oh well). This way, you all get a chapter, and I feel a little less guilty. I did write this chapter on my phone, so please excuse me for my mistakes as I've been computer-less and will continue to be without access to a computer until the aforementioned date. Sorry about that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

In a span of a few, wordless, seconds, a blade clashes against sword. A cero is negated by a Getsuga Tenshō. Resurrección is met with Bankai.

I jump back.

"So easily manipulated," he laughs out as he rushes toward me again.

I glare at him as I Shunpo behind him, raising Zangetsu to slash him.

He aims his elbow at me, shooting five of those bombs at me.

I jump up, dodging them, but with his other hand, he aims another cero at me.

"Is that all you got, Kurosaki?"

I evade his attack while sending one of my own.

"Even that woman put up more of a fight!"

In a span of a few, thoughtless, seconds, my mind blanks. A scream rips through my throat. My reiatsu wraps around me in unrestricted, irrational fury. Urahara-san's warning before he sent me here is forgotten, ignored as my body moves. I reacted, and now his arm is severed.

"Tsk. Maybe I shouldn't have killed her. Who else is going to he—"

Who takes over, I don't know. Maybe it's me. Maybe it's the hollow. Maybe it's something even more inhuman that that. But whatever it is, it's merciless. It's primitive and vicious and mindless. A complete beast.

Zangetsu is lodged in his stomach. And my mouth is already forming the first syllable that will release the killing blow when I hear a voice in the distance.

"Kurosaki-kun! Kurosaki-kun!"

I pull the blade out of him and zoom to where she is. And it is because she is running towards me, too, that she slams into my chest. It is because of this that I allow myself to hug her. Because if I don't, she would bounce off me and fall. Because if I don't hold her, I'll fall.

She's here. She's alive and safe. She's with me again.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

I pull back a little to look over her. She looks fine. No scratches. No bruises. She's perfectly okay, but maybe she's injured in some kind of way that I can't see.

"You're not hurt, are you?" I ask.

She shakes her head, and I notice that she's blushing.

"What about you? Do I need to -"

"Woman, come heal me."

I let her go completely so I can move in front of her.

"Don't come any closer, Grimmjow!"

He laughs as he holds his bleeding stomach.

"No wonder Urahara brought her here," he remarks.

My eyes widen, and I glance back at her.

"He did?"

She nods.

"He asked me to come to his shop, and he told me I was needed here tonight…so I should probably heal him, right?"

Even though it's a question, her Sōten Kisshun is already surrounding him.

"Once she's done, we are going to continue, Kurosaki."

I scowl. I'm not fighting him again. Once she's done, I'm taking her home.

"That mad man made me a deal for my cooperation. We fight until we settle our score."

"If that's true, it's already over. I won."

"Says who, you bastard? We're just getting started!"

He tries to rush forward, but Inoue's Shun Shun Rikka repels him back.

I snicker at his confused expression.

"Let me out, woman!"

I scowl at his disrespectfulness, and I'm tempted to beat his ass again for that alone, but I stop short when something collides with me.

"Ichigooo!"

I let out a grunt as small arms wrap around my head in a death grip.

"Nel! Your finger is digging into my eye!"

She laughs.

"Damn brat! Didn't I tell you to keep her away?" Grimmjow growls at her.

"I was! But she was 'it!'"

"You and your stupid game of tag!"

"It's not stupid!"

"Umm…Nel-chan," I hear Inoue whisper. "Your finger is still in Kurosaki-kun's eye."

I reach up, lift Nel, and set her on the ground before she blinds me.

"Well, it's been good seeing you two, but we should be going, right, Inoue?"

"Mmhmm!"

"You're not going anywhere." I look over to see Yoruichi-san in her cat form. "Kisuke told me to make sure that the two of you fight until I see fit."

"What's going on? Why are you here?"

"You'll know eventually. Inoue's job is to heal the both of you until then."

"Eh?"

"You heard the cat. Come on, Kurosaki!"

I look back at Inoue, and she is just as confused as I am. But her shield incases me, and the minor wounds I had are healed quickly. She then nods at me, and it's clear what she's saying: she's telling me to listen to Yoruichi-san. There must be a reason why Urahara-san sent us here, so I might as well listen to his instructions as best as I can.

So I fight with Grimmjow. I don't try to mortally wound him like last time. There's no reason to. His statements earlier had goaded me into losing control, but now that I can see Inoue's alright, more than alright as she's running away from Dondochakka while laughing, I fight him like we are just practicing.

He doesn't have the same sentiment. He's coming at me with the intent to kill, but he's no match for me anymore.

But I do as I'm told. I fight, and Inoue heals. And it must be an hour or more before Yoruichi interrupts us.

"Okay. That's good enough."

"So we are finally going home, right?"

She grimaces.

"Not yet. We have one more stop." She transforms out of her cat form. "Grimmjow, would you mind opening up a Garganta to Soul Society?"

"Fine. But don't think this is over, Kurosaki."

"Sure," I dismiss as he opens up the portal.

I look over to Inoue. Her cheeks her flushed, and she's lightly panting. During all this time, she's been playing tag with Nel and her brothers.

"You've had fun?"

She grins. "Yup!" Her smile dims a little as she looks down. "Although my legs are a little tired."

"Can you make it to Soul Society? Want me to carry you?"

She stutters out a no, and I chuckle at her flustered expression.

"Come on, you two. You can flirt all you want later, but for now, we've got to go," Yoruichi says as she heads into the Garganta.

I'm sure we both blush at her teasing words before following her.

"So are you going to tell us what's really happening?"

"Unfortunately, I can't. I don't really know much," she confesses while we run. "Kisuke just gave me specific directions."

"Which were?"

She ignores my question.

"We're almost there. Be ready to jump."

We nod, and when the time comes, we jump. I'm tempted to wrap my arm around Inoue's waist to save her the trouble of using her powers, but her Santen Kesshun is already formed.

When we land on the ground, I look around. Everything almost still looks the same from when we left here a month ago. Buildings are still destroyed. Rubble upon rubble still covers the ground. The air even seems a shade darker from all the dust that stirs up with each passing wind.

The only difference is that the bodies which laid on the ground and destruction are all gone.

"I know it doesn't look like it, but we've been making good progress," Yoruichi-san states as she walks. "Although it'll take years to get everything as it was," she admits a second later. "But it's nothing we can't fix."

"So you're planning to stay?" Inoue asks.

"For the time beginning. Yuushirou has begged me to stay at the manor, claiming I owed him." How she manages to sound irritated and affectionate is beyond me.

"He must love that you're back," Inoue claims with a giggle. "He's got quite a sister-complex. It's cute."

Yoruichi looks over her shoulder.

"There's a fine line between cute and annoying."

"Yuushirou-kun is too cute to be annoying," Inoue defends lightly.

Yoruichi smirks while I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you hitting on my brother right in front of Ichigo? You sure got guts."

"Eeehhh?!" Inoue blushes and panics. "NO! Of course not!"

"I don't know," I continue in a dubious tone, already settling into my teasing mode. "That's not what it sounds like."

Her eyes widen, and she is about to protest again when multiple spiritual pressures approach where we are.

"I thought I sensed you, my first love! You look beautiful as always!"

I send a glare at Hirako as he rushes toward Inoue with his arms wide upon. I grab him by his haori before he can hug her.

He gives me a bored, haughty look. The same infuriating look he gave me years ago when I pulled him off her when he had the nerve to latch onto on her.

"Oh, it's you."

I click my tongue.

"Keep your hands to yourself, pervert."

"What? Orihime-chan doesn't mind, right?"

He directs his question to her, but she's not even there. She's being suffocated by Rangiku-san.

I let Hirako go to run a hand through my hair.

First I had to block a pervert. Now I have to stop a murder.

"Oi, you have to let her breathe before she…"

I lose my train of thought as a blade comes down on me, and I groan as I notice who the owner to the blade is.

How is this fair? Inoue is showered with warm welcomes and opened arms, and I keep getting crazed maniacs.

"You're looking well, Kenpachi," I grunt out as I push Zangetsu against his blade.

He grins widely.

"You're looking weaker." He insults as he swings his sword down again.

I side-step his attack, but he comes at me again.

This time I don't have to dodge. Inoue shields me.

We look at her as she nears us.

"Hello, Zaraki-san," she greets him with a smile.

"Ojou-san."

"May I say hello?" She asks quietly.

He wordlessly gives her his sword, and she carefully takes it from his hands. She smiles gratefully.

"Yachiru-chan? It's me, booby-chan," she whispers.

I frown. Not just at the nickname Yachiru used to call Inoue but also at the whole scene. It reminded me too much of the past.

It was, to say the least, rough seeing how Inoue responded to the news. When Inoue heard that Yachiru was gone, she had just looked down and walked away to help those who could still be helped. She worked the whole day in solitude. She only answered when spoken to, only offering a small smile to be polite.

But the worst part of it all? It was when Yumichika told me the following day that Inoue spent the night trying to get Yachiru back.

Yes, that was the worst.

It seems like she's doing better, though. She's smiling and saying something about bringing candy next time, and she's hugging the sword like it's normal. But with the strange hush that settles around us, I think maybe people find this anything but. And maybe they are judging Inoue for her kind, eccentric tendencies, but when I look around, there's a softness in everyone's expression. Except for Kenpachi. But there is a quiet respect Kenpachi gives her as she hands the zanpakuto back to him.

It's weird how she has that effect on people.

Yourichi-san walks over to Inoue and wraps an arm around her waist. She looks back at me.

"Ichigo, you are to report to the Captain-Commander immediately."

I scowl.

"Inoue and I will be at the S.R.D.I."

I glare.

"Don't worry. I'll be with her."

That's all she says as she disappears with Inoue. Like those parting words will do anything for me. Like it would soothe me.

They don't. Not enough, anyways. The 12th division is the least possible place I want Inoue. Kurotsuchi has this sick fascination with her. Like he's ready to dissect her if anyone would give him the chance. Like she's a mystery he needs to solve through any means.

I hear a yawn behind me.

"I'll go, too. Make sure no one harms my princess," Hirako announces. I don't even bother to rebuke him for calling her his. He's gone, and I must say, I'm relieved. Although Hirako could be an idiot, he wouldn't let anything happen to Inoue. That I know. I could trust him and Yoruichi-san to keep Inoue safe.

I release a sigh.

"I'm surprised you haven't attacked me again," I direct to Kenpachi.

He grins as he raises his arm as if to make me regret my words.

"Captain Zaraki, Ichigo needs to go. If Nanao hears we kept him from reporting, she'll scold us," Rangiku-san steps in.

Kenpachi pauses before letting his arm down.

"Next time, we fight."

He leaves as I sigh. I should just introduce him with Grimmjow. Let the two crazies go at it, so they can leave me out of it.

"Thanks, Rangiku-san."

She waves me off.

"If you're really grateful, tell me all about you and Orihime."

My eyes widen.

"How'd you know?"

She laughs.

"She has a certain glow, and it can only be from you two getting together or from you two _getting together_ ," she finishes with waggling eyebrows.

I feel my face heat up at her suggestive tone, but before she can embarrass me any further with her innuendos—I'm sure she has more—I rush off, heading to the First Division like Yoruichi-san instructed me.

Once I'm there, I'm met by Kyoraku-san.

He smiles.

"Ichigo-kun. It's nice to see you."

I nod back, a little wary of him. Something about him reminds me of Urahara-san; they're both laid-back, but behind their easy-going personalities, they are sly. They are cunning, and it's dangerous.

Something right now is telling me that I should be careful.

"It's been a month, right? How have you been faring without your powers?"

I shrug.

"Fine."

"I heard about last week. What a shame that poor Orihime-chan suffered such injuries."

Although he sounds apologetic, my eyes narrow in suspicion.

"She's okay now," I reply, a little tersely.

He smiles.

"That's good. I can't say the same for some of our men. Some got severely hurt with the unusual hollow activity."

I can feel a tension in me building. Again, it's like my body knows something before my brain does.

He continues speaking as if he can't sense my uneasiness.

"Since the loss of Captain Unohana, the 4th division has been struggling with dealing with all the injured." My heart skips a beat uncomfortably. "You know, Orihime-chan's ability can easily replace the massive loss Soul Society suffered." My fist clenches around Zangetsu. "She would be a great asset to us." His eyes meet mine. "Don't you agree, Ichigo-kun?"


	39. Trigger

A/N: My hiatus ran a little longer than I would've liked. Sorry about that. And I'm sorry that this chapter is so short (then again, almost all my chapters are pretty short, so is that redundancy?), but next chapter will bring us back to Ichihime interactions!

So my free time has been cut even more. It's now limited to the weekend, so I'll try to write when I can (I have time right now, so I"ll be writing!) and update hopefully on Mondays. This is my goal! Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

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He observes me closely, vigilantly, as if he's waiting for me to respond to his question. As if he's waiting for me to explode. It's like he's watching for signs an eruption.

And it's coming. I can feel it. I can feel the fury simmer in my stomach, and it grows into a blazing fire that spreads throughout me as the implication of his words become clearer, that he wants to keep Inoue here. And I can feel a slight tingle which is fanned into a bubbling burn, indicating that my anger is getting the best of me, and a visceral urge to fight has my muscles clenching in anticipation, and I'm fucking screwed if I don't get control of myself because if I attack the Captain-Commander, I'll have the wrath of Soul Society against me. If that were to happen, I wouldn't be able to leave, and Inoue…what would happen to her?

Urahara-san's words push into the forefront of my mind, overshadowing Kyoraku-san's for a second, but it's enough to give my anger pause. Enough for me to grasp what's happening.

This is some kind of test. Some part of the deal those two made about whether or not I can stay in the World of the Living. That would explain why Urahara-san looked unhappy when he sent me here. This must've been something he didn't want to happen because he was unsure if I could control myself.

But why would he send Inoue with me?

I have to hold my breath as a new wave of rage rises in me. I have to close my eyes to push it down before my spiritual pressure seals my fate, but the struggle is palpable. Very.

There's a reason why she was brought, why Urahara-san warning revolved around her and not me. It's why Grimmjow taunted me with lies of hurting her. It's why Kyroaku-san is threatening to keep her here, why he probably requested that she'd come with me in the first place.

Grimmjow was right. I'm easily manipulated. Especially when it comes to her. And Kyoraku-san is manipulating me right now. He'll say anything to make me lose my cool to test my limits, and he knows exactly what to say. Because he knows. He knows Inoue is my trigger.

"She would," I finally answer. I try to keep my composure as I give him an honest response. Maybe it will stop him from trying to rile me up even further.

He smiles as he nods.

"It's very tempting to ask her to stay here," he admits. "Make her the Captain of the 4th division," he continues. "Inoue Taichou has a nice ring, doesn't it?"

My eyes narrow in concertation. I must concentrate to smother whatever excess reiatsu that is lurking to escape and doom me. I also concentrate on his statements. Are they just trying to infuriate me? Or are they hinting at something else? Is that part of the reason why Inoue had to come with me? Is Kyoraku planning to keep her here if I'm deemed unsafe to return home? Will he use her as some kind of leverage to make me stay?

With the way he scrutinizes me, I know the answer. Yes, he would. It's like what Urahara-san had said: if it means keeping peace, they would do anything.

"Please don't ask," I get out with clenched teeth. I'm beyond livid that he would stoop so low as to use Inoue as some kind of bargaining tool, as collateral, but I think what gets to me the most at this second is that if he were to ask her, she would say yes. She wouldn't even hesitate. If she thought that she was needed here, she would stay. No coercion would be necessary. She would voluntarily stay.

He gains this sheepish look, and he fidgets with his eyepatch.

"I won't." He laughs. "Such a bright young girl has a life to live. I won't take that away from her."

"Thanks."

He nods.

"Well, it's been a month, and I'm sure you're eager to take up your Shinigami duties again."

I don't know if I should agree or not, so I remain silent and still.

"Do you mind if I see if the Gentei Rein has held in place?"

I shrug and turn around. The seal was placed just below the nape of my neck.

I feel him approach me, and he moves over the collar of my Shinigami robes.

"Hmm…it's a little withered, so you'll need to go to the 12th to reinforce it."

I breathe a little in relief. It seems his suspicion has let up.

"No problem. Inoue is over there anyways. She and I should be getting home."

I hear him agree, and I make my way to leave.

"I wouldn't have harmed her, if that means anything."

I pause. He knows that I figured him out. And on some level, he probably knows that I had restricted my reiatsu as best as I could, knows that I'm not completely stable. And he knows that I know if I had failed in heeding to Urahara-san's warning, he would have been forced to make me stay. And he knows that I know he would've used her as bait to do it.

I scowl, but I don't respond. Why should I? He knows the answer.

Of course, it means something that he wouldn't have harmed her if the worst scenario played out. But it also means something that he would even use her to get to me. It's not even the first time that someone has done this to me. No. I'm very aware of how many times an opponent has used Inoue to make me lose control, to get under my skin, or to wound me. I remember clearly each and every single time.

But Kyoraku-san is not an opponent. He's an ally, a friend, so I'm hurt that he would even entertain the idea of betraying not only my trust but Inoue's, too. Really, it was a low blow for him to take, and I'll forgive him eventually, but at this moment, his actions are unforgivable. I hope he knows that.

With the heavy sigh he releases as I leave, I know he does.


	40. Achilles' Heel

A/N: So like I promised, a new chapter on Monday! Yay! It's not that great, but you get what you pay for! Just kidding! But this chapter does deal with some misconceptions I see the IR fandom have about Ichihime like how Ichihime is toxic because they bring out the worst in each other. Like who comes up with that BS? Like seriously? Anyways that issue will be discussed here. I hope you all keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

P.S. 400+ comments! You guys! I'm so spoiled to have you all as my fans! *cries*

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There is something that plagues me as I make my way to the 12th division. A thought that has flittered across my mind probably a few times without garnering much rumination. But there is no possible way that I can ignore it now. Not after what just happened. Not if it'll happen again. And it will, I'm sure.

Inoue has this special ability. With her words, she can invoke courage and determination in me. She's done this when Rukia was taken to Soul Society so many years ago. She just offered me encouragement, and my will became ironclad. And then there was that time when I was losing against Grimmjow. Even when she was scared of me, scared for me, she shouted for me to not get hurt anymore, and I felt a burst of resolve to win. And there was also that time with Ginjō. Even with unspoken words, she gave me more resilience against Yhwach.

Yes, her words have that influence on me.

And with her presence, she coaxes me into states of ease and peace. She has a calming effect over me. By looking at her, by seeing her smiling face, I feel that everything will be okay. At the same time, with her by my side, I feel stronger, almost invincible. It's why she and I fought against Yhwach. It's because I believed that we could take him if we were together.

But even though she makes me better, even though she's a source of strength for me, she's my Achilles' heel, and it's because she's my vulnerable spot that I'll do anything to protect her. I'll lose reason, forget everyone, become a monster if it'll ensure her well-being. My humanity and my life seem to mean next to nothing when she's in danger.

So although she can bring out the best in me, she's the only one who can bring out the worst. Because if I have to become the worst to save her, all of me is willing to give up everything to do it, and I'm afraid that everyone knows that. And if she was my weakness before when we were just friends, it'll only get worse as she and I become closer. She'll be the first person to be targeted to get to me. The first one to be threatened, used, and abused. All because she means so much to me.

And so I have one question I don't want to ask: is being with Inoue the right choice for _her_?

The answer is one I don't want to accept, but it's repeating in my mind as I enter the Research and Development Institute. It's insistently weighing me down as I look at her while she talks to Rangiku-san, but the weight is suddenly lifted when she turns around as she smiles at me. Any thought or feeling of regret, of distress, evaporates.

She's already told me how she felt about me protecting her. She doesn't want my protection if it means that I won't be next to her. She would rather take the dangerous risk of being with me, friend or something more, than be completely safe.

She took a chance by confessing to me, and she's taking a chance now by being with me. It's well beyond my turn to be the one taking chances. Besides, all I have to do is become stronger, strong enough that I'll overcome any adversaries that come our way. After all, I've already promised to protect her, and I will. Anyone who knows that Inoue is my weakness also knows this.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun!" She greets as she approaches me. "That was quick! Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Kyōraku-san just wanted a report about some things."

She looks like she has some questions, but I interrupt her with one of my own.

"What about you? What'd they need you for?"

"Just some quick scans to make sure she's all healthy after being injured," Hirako states lazily as he lounges on a dissection table.

"That's all?"

"Akon and Rin are studying her spirits. Yoruichi-san is keeping an eye on them," Rangiku-san speaks up.

I frown.

"Let's go see them. I have to get the Gentei Rein replaced."

I walk forward, and Inoue skips over to my side.

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

I glance at her, and my eyes roam over her worried facial features. She's so concerned that it's almost funny.

"And you called me a worry-wart," I tease.

She blushes.

"Kurosaki-kun is avoiding my question!" She complains as she crosses her arms.

I click my tongue.

"Inoue is avoiding my teasing!" I mimic her gesture, trying to make her laugh, and she really tries not to. She even pouts for a second to resist the urge, but it's not long before she starts laughing.

The sound of her laughter easily makes me relax.

"You sure took my words to heart. It hasn't even by five minutes and you two are already flirting." Yoruichi comments with a smirk.

We both redden, and she chuckles as if she's pleased with our reactions. Who am I kidding? If she were in her cat form, she'd be downright purring and licking her paws.

"If you have time to be joking like this, you better be making sure Inoue's spirits are fine."

She waves me off.

"Rin is currently talking to them. Come on."

We follow her, and we soon come across a lab. Sure enough, Rin is talking to them. What Yoruichi didn't mention was that Akon is being tormented by Tsubaki.

"Tsubaki-kun!" Inoue calls out. "Behave!"

Not a beat later does that punk come zooming over to us and start pulling on Inoue's cheek.

"You left us alone with these weirdos, and you think you can just boss me around now?" He growls.

"Tsubaki-kun! It hurts!" Inoue whines. His response is to pull harder.

I glare at him as I ready my fingers to flick him off her.

He sees this, and he lets go of her to switch over to me.

He begins to pull on the hair at the back of my head.

"Keep your hands to yourself, you delinquent!"

He punctuates each word with a pull, and with each ache he causes, the need to swat him like a fly grows stronger.

"Tsubaki-kun! Leave Kurosaki-kun alone!"

He ignores her.

"That one sure is fiery," Yoruichi says. "It makes you wonder if Inoue's just as feisty."

I try to imagine Inoue with Tsubaki's personality, but the image is too ridiculous that I laugh.

"I doubt it," I reply.

"I wouldn't," Akon counters. "Her spirits are a manifestation of not only her powers but her personality. I think somewhere deep down, Inoue-san is…difficult." Despite how smart he is, he struggles to finish is sentence without hurting Inoue's feeling. It seems that even he has a soft spot for her.

I smirk.

"Did you hear that, Inoue? You're difficult."

"Am not," she protests weakly.

"Speak clearly, woman!" Tsubaki commands.

She frowns, and it looks like she's going to respond when Yoruichi interjects.

"Although this is highly entertaining, I think it's best I get you two home. You do have school in the morning."

"She's right. Let me just first replace the seal before you go. The Captain-Commander sent a Jigokuchō informing me of its diminished state."

I shrug my shoulders as I cup my hand around the small spirit who has yet to give up. I bring him up to eye-level so I can stare at him, and I blow in his face to get back at him. He wiggles in my hand while screaming at me, but all I do is give him back to Inoue.

"Okay, let's get this over with. I'm tired."

"It shouldn't take long. Especially if you want to keep the same design."

My head tilts in confusion.

"Design? What are you talking about?"

"The Gentei Rein comes in different forms. Yours was costumed made," Akon explains.

"By who?" Inoue asks as she holds Tsubaki close to her cheek. He doesn't like that much if his squirming is any indication.

"Urahara Kisuke."

I'm filled with apprehension immediately as I touch the spot below the nape of my neck.

"What is it of?" I question with hesitation.

For the first time ever, I see Akon smile. It's both weird and unsettling.

"It seems like he's up to his pranks again," he mutters to himself before turning his attention back to me. "Your design? It's of Inoue-san's Shun Shun Rikka, of course."


	41. Branded

A/N: Hi…Not much to say. Been pretty busy. Umm…this chapter is double meh. Next chapter will be Ichihime. So keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing. Love you all!

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I'm going to kill Urahara-san. I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I do know exactly why I'll kill him. And it's not even that he basically stamped me with Inoue's most precious possession. It's because of what happens after the grand reveal.

Akon takes to smirking to himself. Yoruichi-san takes to laughing and insufferable teasing at my expense. Tsubaki takes to screaming the word pervert at me as he buzzes around Inoue protectively. And Inoue…she takes to stuttering and blushing while she covers her face with her hands. I guess that is the only silver-lining to all of this embarrassment.

But the whole situation becomes unbearable when I, without thinking, tell Akon to leave the design as is. I just want to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible so we can go home and get some sleep before we have to get up for school.

Unfortunately, my intent does not come across to anyone in the right way because Yoruichi-san makes a comment about how it's a little too early to be getting couple tattoos. Tsubaki goes ballistic and tries to gouge out my eyes, and he would've been able to do it if it weren't for Inoue's other spirits holding him back. Rangiku-san, who has finally caught up with us with Hirako by her side, nudges Inoue, trying to persuade her into getting a strawberry tattoo on her lower back or on her upper chest, which she then punctuates by sticking her own chest out to show Inoue what she means. And Hirako complains about how I'm corrupting his blushing princess while trying to place an arm around her shoulders protectively.

That comment and action crosses the line, and I impatiently bark at Akon to strength the Gentei Rein so we can go home already. He does after a snicker, and I ignore all the jabs at me while he works. It pays off because they soon lose interest in my unresponsive reactions.

It doesn't take long, and Inoue and I are finally free to leave. Rangiku-san tells us a quick goodbye and mutters something about paperwork. Hirako tries to give Inoue a goodbye hug, but I stop him. He frowns, and he leans a bit closer to me to tell me that I need to do a better job at protecting Inoue or else. He says this quietly so Inoue can't hear him, but no matter how quiet his voice is, the threat is loud in my head. And completely unnecessary. He doesn't need to tell me something I have already vowed to do.

With goodbyes out of the way, we get ready to pass through the Senkaimon when we are greeted by Kon in my body and Urahara-san.

I eye the duo carefully. I eye Kon for the obvious reasons, and the other I eye in suspicion. If Urahara-san deserves that suspicion, I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out. And soon.

Kon's first action is to hurl himself at Inoue which elicits a yip from her. He never makes contact with her because Urahara-san pushes Kon out with his cane. Yoruichi-san catches the pill in her hand while Inoue opens her arms and scrambles to catch my body before it falls. I give a soft chuckle at the image before flash stepping to intercept my body before it crushes her.

She pouts.

"I would have caught you, Kurosaki-kun!"

I reenter my body before giving her a smirk.

"Unlike you, I'm pretty heavy."

"As I live and breathe! A compliment from Kurosaki-san," Urahara kids as he throws Kon's body to Yoruichi-san.

She snorts.

"And what a compliment," she remarks sarcastically.

I scowl.

"Alright. Enough jokes. Let Inoue and I go home already."

Urahara-san nods his head toward the Senkaimon.

"Ladies first."

Inoue perks up, and she gives Yoruichi-san a quick hug before entering the portal. Urahara-san gives Yoruichi-san a look before following Inoue. I catch up to him, and I'm ready to give him an earful when I realize that I don't even know what to say first. Should I confront him? Accuse him? Guilt him? Or just ignore him?

"You have my deepest apologies, Kurosaki-san. Inoue-san, too."

I look at him as we run. His hat covers his eyes, but from tone alone, I know he's sincere.

I frown, anyways.

"I did not want to involve her," he explains. "I wanted to keep her out of this whole mess if it were possible, but Kyōraku-san had insisted. Unfortunately, it was the only way I could get him to agree to let you remain in Karakura. It was a compromise that I couldn't avoid making."

I mull over his words quietly.

"Why did you send us to Hueco Mundo?"

"A precautionary measure. I knew how you'd react when you found out the real reason why Inoue-san was there, which is why I had Grimmjow-san fight with you. I wanted you to use up your reiatsu in case you couldn't control your anger," I nod at this. Grimmjow and I did fight for a while, and I could feel the drain of my spiritual pressure by the time Yoruichi-san let us stop. "Also, I did promise him a chance to fight with you again in exchange for his cooperation. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone."

"How ingenious," I mock.

"I know you're upset with us, Kurosaki-san. You should be. To use her is despicable. I know this, and I'm sorry that it came to it. You both deserve better than that."

I want to stay mad at him, but I can't. He only did what he thought best at the time.

I shrug.

"Why didn't you tell me the whole truth from the beginning?"

He sighs.

"You would have immediately refused."

I scoff. Of course, I would've. In no universe would I willingly let someone threaten Inoue's safety and wellbeing. Which brings me to my next question.

"Is he…" I trail off as I try to find a right way to word it, but I can't.

Luckily, he is smart enough to anticipate my question.

"She will always be the one he uses to manipulate you," he states. He just confirmed my fear. "You understand why, don't you?"

I nod as I touch the spot below my neck.

"It's the reason why you put this damn mark on me, right?"

He smirks.

"That was just for fun, Kurosaki-san. There's no meaning behind it."

We get to the end of the Senkaimon.

I roll my eyes. He sees this, and he laughs.

"How'd you know, anyways?" How did he know before I did? How did he know that I've been branded by Inoue for longer than I even realized myself?

He smiles as we jump down. Inoue's shield cushions our fall. It lowers us to the ground slowly. And while it does, I look down at her while she looks up, and when our eyes meet, she grins at me and waves like we haven't seen each other in days. It's an overzealous reaction, but my lips, as if they have a mind of their own, involuntarily quirk up a bit at her.

"If you could only see what I see, you'd know, too."

"And what do you see?"

When he doesn't respond, I look over at him, thinking he would be staring at her, but he's not. He's looking straight at me with those knowledgeable, intelligent, omniscient eyes of his without saying one word.

I start to repeat the question when a strong breeze pulls my attention away from him and toward her. Her hair whirls around her, and one of her arms moves up to pull some strands from her face while the other wraps around herself to warm herself up.

I step on the ground, and I move closer to her to block the incoming wind from hitting her.

"Come on, Inoue. It's too cold to be out here." As if to prove my point, a shiver rakes through her. "I'll walk you home."

"You really d—"

I scowl, and she cuts her protest short with a sheepish smile.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun." She looks behind me. "And thank you Urahara-san for coming for us."

"No thanks are necessary, Inoue-san. And if they are, it should be me thanking you and Kurosaki-san for your assistance tonight."

She grins.

"It was no problem! It was nice to see some of our friends, right, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Sure, sure. 'Nice' is a word that one could use. Annoying would be another."

She pouts, and her lips part probably to defend them.

"Well, regardless, I'm grateful to the both of you. Do stop by the store whenever you have free time. I'll give you something as compensation."

"No thanks. Knowing you, you'd probably give us something weird."

"Do you still have that special edition candy from last month? The one with the different flavors?" Inoue asks excitedly, completely ignoring my dismissal to his offer.

"Of course! I'll give you a whole case for free!"

"Yay! Did you hear that, Kurosaki-kun?!" She turns to me. "Free candy!"

I sigh in exasperation. It's just like her to not question a gift.

I give Urahara-san a hard stare.

"It better be just regular candy, got it? Nothing weird."

He grins.

"I can promise you it'll be regular candy by the time she picks it up."  
I frown.

"Wait…What the hell does that mea—"

The end of my question goes unheard as he disappears with laughter trailing behind him.

"That bastard," I mutter underneath my breath.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She exclaims with disapproval.

I look at her before shoving my hands into my pockets and stepping around her. I begin to walk toward her apartment's direction.

"I meant to say, 'that bastard- _san,'"_ I stress.

She skips over to my side.

"That wasn't the problem!" She protests with a pout.

"Sure it was," I tell her with a deadpan face.

Her pout breaks out into a smile, and she laughs loudly. She then quickly covers her mouth and stops walking when a random light from a person's house flickers on.

"Whoops," she whispers.

I snort as I stop by her side, and she giggles quietly. And she only starts walking again when the light turns off. I'm about to follow her when a realization has me pausing mid-step.

Urahara-san never answered me. He never told me what he saw, what he sees. How did he know of my feelings? How does anyone? How did they know?

What do they see?

Inoue stops, and for a second, I stare at her back, and I wonder why the view unsettles me. And I wonder why the feeling goes away when she turns slightly to urge me forward with a smile. And I wonder why it feels so comforting when I reach her side.

And I wonder what they see. Because if I could somehow look at the both of us right now, if I could view Inoue and I as a third-party, all I'd be able to see would be her smile.


	42. M

A/N: It's been one year today since I started this story! I'm so sorry! I should've been updating more regularly. I should've been more disciplined! Forgive me! And this chapter is so short and honestly just a filler! But it leads to the next chapter perfectly! And next chapter will be what we have all waited for! The first date! That's right! The first date will come soon! Anyways, keep reading and enjoying!

* * *

While we walk, she tells me the latest news in Soul Society. She also informs that Rangiku-san is still worried about Hisagi who is still in a comatose state. She tells me that Hiyori is thinking about coming back here. Apparently, Hiyori still doesn't feel comfortable around so many Shinigami, according to Hiroko. Akon told her that that freak captain still wants to keep Izuru in that zombified state for future research.

Inoue then tells me that Rukia and Renji were out recruiting workers and funds to help rebuild the Seireitei which is why they didn't stop by to say hi. She says this with a pout.

"We just saw them," I state gently. Her pout grows.

"I know…but I wanted to tell them about," she trails off with a blush.

I smirk.

"About what?" I ask with feigned innocence.

She blushes more as her eyebrows pull together.

"You're teasing me again!"

I snicker.

"You make it so easy. I can't help it."

"I don't!" She denies before smiling.

"What?"

She shakes her head.

"It's just…I like being teased."

I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you an 'M?'" I ask without thought, and I immediately regret it.

She mouths the letter a few times before tilting her head in confusion like she is asking me for clarification.

I blush.

"Never mind."

She frowns at being denied.

"I'll just ask Tatsuki-chan when I see her."

My eyes nearly pop out of the socket. I can just imagine how that will go: she'll ask Tatsuki. Tatsuki will find me. I will be punched. Or killed.

"No! Don't do that," I nearly plead.

"Why? Tats—" she cuts herself off.

"What's wrong?" I question her as she stops walking.

I look around, trying to sense any hidden danger that made her pause, but I see nothing. Although, I notice that we are near her apartment complex.

"Do you-do you think Urahara-san told everyone that we would be gone tonight?" She asks nervously.

I shrug.

"Why do you ask?"

She lets out an apprehensive chuckle as she slightly moves behind me.

I glance at her over my shoulder to ask her about her sudden fear when I hear a shout.

"Don't think you can hide from me, Orihime!"

I turn back to see a fuming Tatsuki approach us.

I now know why Inoue is so scared.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue greets in a sweet tone that barely masks her terror.

"Don't 'Tatsuki-chan!' me!" She yells.

"Oi! Quiet down! People are trying to sleep," I scold.

And like gas to a fire, Tatsuki's rage grows. Except it's directed at me instead of Inoue.

"You! You good-for-nothing punk! You couldn't call me before going after her?! Do you know how worried I was?! One second I feel her, and then in the next, I don't, and it's just like—"

She doesn't finish her sentence, but we all know what she means. It was just like last time.

Inoue shuffles forward and hugs Tatsuki tightly.

"I'm sorry! It was all unexpected, but I'm fine. And so is Kurosaki-kun!" I see her squeeze Tatsuki tighter. "Everything is okay!"

I peer closely at Tatsuki's expression. Judging by the decrease tension in her, I assume that she has forgiven us for her sudden disappearance, but the sound of bone meeting bone disproves me quickly.

"Owww," Inoue whines as she rubs her head.

"Don't think you can just hug me, and all will be forgotten!"

"But Tatsuki-chan~"

Inoue stops as Tatsuki sends her a glare.

I frown.

"Okay. I understand that you are upset, but…"

Demonic waves of anger radiate off Tatsuki as I try to intervene.

"But?" She whispers.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," I remark quickly. It seems like any comment from me will just anger her more, so I decide to keep my mouth shut. I give Inoue a guilty look and mouth sorry because it seems like I'm a coward since I'm not defending her on her behalf, but she just smiles and giggles like she understands my silent reasoning.

But Tatsuki hears the small laugh, and she whips her head back toward Inoue.

"Oh? You think something is funny?"

"Noo," Inoue whispers. "Nothing is funny ever," she clarifies with wide eyes.

Her terrified expression nearly forces me to laugh, but I cough to keep it from coming out.

"Is that sarcasm? Are you being cheeky right now?"

Before Inoue can deny anything, Tatsuki is pulling Inoue by her ear toward the stairs.

I scowl at the rough treatment Inoue is undergoing, and just when I'm about to protest, Inoue looks directly at me. And despite the pain she is probably experiencing due to Tatsuki's unforgiving grip, she gives me a wide grin.

"Bye, Kurosaki-kun! See y-ow in the morning!" She whispers loudly while cringing.

They both ascend the stairs, and I wait in stunned silence until they appear at Inoue's door. I squint to see that Tatsuki is still mad, and Inoue is still smiling and laughing. And is only when they enter Inoue's apartment that I let out a shaky chuckle.

Is she really an M? Why was she smiling while being punished? Why did it look like she enjoyed it?

I shake my head vigorously as I walk to my home. To even entertain the idea is ridiculous **and** dangerous, but…

" _I'm so happy that you are scolding me." "I like being teased."_

Her previous words echo in my head, and then I remember that she was happy when we were arguing, and now this? It's all pretty damning evidence, but there's no way that she is one. I mean, she didn't even know the meaning of it! And I only know because Keigo is too perverted and Mizuiro is too experienced. Yes, those two idiots are the bane of my innocence.

Maybe she is not one, but why was she happy?

The answer to my question comes to me when I enter my home, and I'm greeted with scolds of my own from Karin and Yuzu who somehow noticed my absence. Even dad gives me a wary expression despite our recently strained relationship. And as I ease Yuzu's worries and deflect Karin's teasing about me sneaking off to be with my secret girlfriend, I realize why Inoue was so glad: she liked being fussed over. She liked coming home to someone. She liked being treated like a kid by Tatsuki.

After a long interaction with my family, I head upstairs to my room. And even though I have only a couple of hours left to sleep, as soon as my head hits my pillow, I'm lulled into sleep by the comforting fact that Inoue is safe and happy.


	43. Our Date (Part 1)

A/N: Hey! This is the longest chapter I've written! And it should be longer, but it would take me much, much, longer for me to finish, and I really wanted to post this on Orihime's birthday. So here's my warning: this is just part one of the first date. I'm sorry! Don't hate me! But next chapter will be worth the wait. Promise! Because it will include *insert drumroll* the moment Ichigo and Orihime first met and the moment Orihime knew she liked Ichigo and so much more! So please be patient with me!

Anyways, keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

* * *

"Say…why have you been glaring at me?"

I take a small break from glaring to let out a yawn, but as soon as I'm done, I resume my glowering.

Why, he asks? His perverse influences somehow seeped into my sleep, altering the sweet, innocent Inoue that visited me in my dreams into something…not so sweet and not so innocent.

But there is no way in hell that I could tell Mizuiro that. So, I answer his question with a deep scowl.

He laughs awkwardly.

"Is this about the rumor?"

I yawn again, unable to help it.

"What rumor?"

He turns his head up, and he starts whistling as if his nonchalant behavior will somehow distract me.

"What rumor?" I repeat, sounding out the words slowly.

"Well, if we are being technical, it's not really a rumor because it's true," he begins.

"Just spit it out already!"

"I might have told people about Inoue-san and the dating thing."

I just nod at the revelation.

It's not really a big deal. I never intended to keep our relationship a secret nor did I intend to flaunt it. I guess that Mizuiro's loose mouth has finally worked in my favor. Now everyone will know that Inoue and I are together.

"Why would that make me glare at you?"

Again, he laughs awkwardly.

"You see, my intention was to tell the whole truth, but…"

"But what?"

"But I only managed to get out that Inoue-san is dating before I was interrupted."

I frown at this.

"So, you're saying that everyone believes Inoue's dating someone, but they don't know who."

"Yup. And the school body is already coming up with wild stories that when I tried telling it's you who's dating her, they shrugged it off."

Although this should upset me, and truthfully, I am annoyed at it, I can't really say that I'm surprised. I already know Inoue is way out of my league, so it's not a shock that everyone knows this, too. On some level, I find it hard to believe that Inoue is dating me, so I can understand why people don't believe that the school's punk and princess are dating.

"What are some guesses?" I ask with a yawn.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Oh. I'm pissed at you for sure, but not for this. So, tell me some guesses."

He sighs at hearing that I'm still peeved, but he complies to my request.

"The most popular theories are that Inoue-san is dating a teacher at our school-"

"Any teacher in particular?" I interrupt.

"That new, young one that teaches literature. He is very handsome, and a few girls saw Inoue-san and him together a few times. That's how the theory came about."

I'm not sure how to take the news, so I just prompt him to keep going.

"Another theory is that she's dating a famous movie star she met through her connection with Kanonji-san."

That seems more likely to be true. Inoue is like an idol in our school, so it's not a surprise that people would think that she would end up with someone of her caliber.

"Who else?"

His response is drowned out by loud chatter ahead of us. I look up, spotting Inoue surrounded by a group of girls and even from this distance, though she's smiling, she looks exhausted.

My pace quickens to reach her sooner. Feeling my presence, a few girls leave quickly, mummering a goodbye, but the other girls who aren't afraid of me and my reputation, as unbelievable as it should be, stay and pester Inoue with questions about who she's dating.

"Kurosaki-kun," Inoue answers as she smiles at me.

A girl, probably the leader, looks at me.

"Oh, good morning," she greets before turning back to Inoue. "Now, who are you dating?"

The girl's response makes me chuckle. Inoue literally answered her question, but it seems like she misunderstood and thought Inoue was just greeting me. I guess it's really far-fetched that she could be dating me.

My eyes land on Inoue. She's pouting, and I think it's because she's personally offended that they don't believe her.

I let a quiet laugh that quickly transforms into a yawn.

Almost in response, Inoue yawns.

"That's interesting."

I glance over my shoulder at Mizuiro before focusing back on Inoue who is trying to separate herself from the group.

"What's interesting?"

"It seems that both you and Inoue-san are tired. You both keep yawning."

"We were up late," I tell him.

"Oh?" He snickers, and I can feel my forehead crease until it smooths as Inoue stops by my side.

"Good morn—" she yawns mid-greeting. "-ing!"

I try to resist but watching her yawn makes me replicate her action.

"You know, if you two keep doing that, you won't have any problem convincing others that you're dating."

She frowns in confusion, and so do I until I catch his hidden meaning after I look at his expression.

"What do you mean?" she asks him.

"Well, you two keep yawning, and it looks like the both of you two took showers this morning despite the cold weather, which makes it look like—"

I send him a deadly glare, and he stops talking.

"Looks like what?" She asks, not getting what he was insinuating at all. And of course, she wouldn't. If she doesn't know what an 'M' is, there is no way she'll catch Mizuiro's implication. And if it weren't for the adult themed dream I had last night, his meaning might have flown over my head, too. But my head seems to be in the gutter despite how hard I try to pull it out.

Yes, it's all too easy to make the connection Mizuiro wants us to make: our constant yawning and wet hair makes us look like we spent the night _together_. And not in the way that we really had.

"Nothing," I curtly state.

She frowns.

"Ku—" another yawn rakes through her.

I snort.

"Maybe you should've stayed home to get more sleep."

"What about you?" she retorts as I try to swallow a yawn.

"I'm not that tired," I fib, but before I can be called out on it, I change the subject, "I can't believe Tatsuki let you come out with wet hair."

She grabs a few strands and hold them close to her face.

"She doesn't know. She left before my alarm went off. I think she had to train."

I reach out and gently knock my fist onto the top of her head.

"You really are a glutton for punishment."

Although my observation is said offhandedly, I redden a little as it reminds me of yesterday.

Well, 'a bit' is a bit of an understatement.

"Eh? Why is Kurosaki-kun's face so red?"

I hear a snicker behind me.

"Yeah. Why _is_ your face so red, Ichigo?" Mizuiro asks in a way that makes it sounds like he knows exactly why I'm blushing. It's like he knows the conversation Inoue and I had last night. Like he knows the perverse dreams that tormented me.

I scowl as I try to cool myself down, but it's of no use. With her intent stare directed at my face, I can't seem to make the blood in my cheeks disperse elsewhere.

"Do you have a fever?" She asks with concern. "And you were worried about me and my wet hair."

"No. I'm fine. It's ju—"

Whatever excuse I was going to use gets lodged in my throat as I feel her place a hand on my forehead.

"Hmm. You do seem a little warm," she remarks after she places her other hand across her own forehead. "Should I…"

Whatever she offers doesn't register in my brain. I'm too focused on the warmth that exudes from her hand and from the concerned expression she gives me. And I distinctly remember this look she gives me. This look that is solely for me and only me. And that look, those looks, always coaxes out something in me that no one else can do. And now is no exception.

"I'm really okay," I tell her gently. "Don't worry about me."

Slowly, her hand her falls from my face, and just as slowly, her face pinkens without provocation.

"Don't tell me what to do," she whispers breathlessly while she avoids eye contact.

I chuckle, and I'm ready to tease her and her sassiness, but the bell sounds, signaling that classes are about to start. It also pops the little bubble that we somehow created. A bubble that was so exclusive that we, or maybe just me, didn't even realize that Mizuiro left or that there are people scattered in the hall talking in hushed voices.

A bubble that I instantly miss.

"We…we should probably get to class. We're going to be late."

A bubble that I intensely crave. So much so that I want to persuade her to play hooky with me. I want to convince her to spend the day with me. I want to monopolize her.

But I shouldn't. We've already missed so many days of school that if we don't have to, we shouldn't skip. So I merely just nod and offer to walk her to class. She turns me down, saying that she doesn't want to make me late, and she takes off with a wave and a grin.

I go to my own class with a sigh that gains more heft as I hear endless whispers around me as I take my seat. What could they be gossiping about today? I have no idea. No one believes Inoue and I are dating, so I should be of no interest, but that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, a girl who sits in front of me, I don't even have a single clue about what her name could possibly be, turns in her seat and looks me up and down before her eyes settle back onto my face.

Her staring causes me to scowl immediately.

"Is there something you want?" I ask.

She crosses her leg over the other as she leans her forearms on my desk. Her eyes remain on my face, and despite my glare, she doesn't look away until our teacher calls the class to attention.

That was weird, but instead of focusing on the uncomfortable incident, I try to find a way to take a short nap without getting caught. Luckily, I'm in the back in the classroom, and the teacher is giving a lecture so sleeping is not that big of a problem. Before I know it, I'm being waked up by Ishida who slams a book on my desk.

"Lunch."

I rub my ear with a glare.

"Thanks. And I'll get you back for that later."

"I'm so scared," he remarks with no inflection in his voice.

I stand and yawn without covering my mouth. He wrinkles his nose in disgust, and I smirk.

"Yeah. Yeah. Let's just go before I really show what fear is."

"Fear is smelling your morning breath again," he insults as he heads out of the classroom to the roof.

I grab my lunch with one hand and stuff the other in my pocket as I follow him.

By now, I should have hit him back with an equally biting retort, but I'm suddenly worried that my breath really does stink. Inoue was really close to me today. If I really do have bad breath, she must've smelt it. But if it was really that bad, she would've said something, right?

No. She really wouldn't.

I breathe into my hand and sniff. The only thing I can smell is mint, which is a relief.

"You're an ass, you know that?"

He ignores me. Which is fine by me because when we reach the roof, my attention is captured by Inoue who is, yet again, yawning with her arms stretched above her and with a wide-open mouth. I expect Ishida to make a comment or a grimace at her action like he did me, but he just sits down and starts eating.

I guess even he has a soft spot for her.

"Did you not take advantage of class to take a nap?" I ask as I sit next to her.

She sluggishly shakes her head.

"Unlike you, she is a good student," Ishida says.

"Does that mean Kurosaki-kun slept in class?"

I nod before I start eating.

"No fair~ Now I'm going to be the only one with panda-eyes." She pouts, and she looks so cute that she activates a part of my brain that is solely reserved for teasing her.

"You want to take a nap? I'll let you use my lap for free," I offer while I pat my lap.

Her face fills up with blood as she looks at my lap and then back at my face.

"Really?! Okay!"

While her face turns red, mine drains of color as Keigo tries to lay his head on my lap.

"Get away, pervert!" I yell as I dodge him.

"You're the one proposing your lap as a pillow to Inoue-san!" He counters.

"Yeah. To her! Not to you!"

"Discrimination! Sexism!"

I roll my eyes and focus back on her.

"Where's Tatsuki?"

"Look at that, Mizuiro! He's ignoring my existence again!"

"She had to help her Kohai with practice. She won't be able to make it today."

"Oh, my poor heart! Inoue-san is ignoring me, too!"

She gives him apologetic look at the mention of her name.

"I know how you feel. They completely forgot my existence this morning. I felt so out of place that I had to leave."

She gives a weak giggle.

"Ah~ That's why Kojima-kun left. Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Inoue-san. New romances are like that," he explains as if he's imparting some kind of wisdom, and she listens with rapt attention. "Besides, I saw something interesting."

Apprehension fills me at his tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"It seems the rumors are changing," he announces.

"Rumors?"

"About who you are dating, Inoue-san," he expounds.

"So people finally believe that we are dating?" I ask.

"Not quite."

At this point, everyone, even Chad, is engrossed with Mizuiro's cryptic words.

He laughs as he sets his phone on the ground.

"You know, Ichigo, you gave the sweetest of looks to Inoue-san today. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes, but I did." He shakes his head as if he got sidetracked. "Anyways, some people saw your expression, and now, new rumors have sprouted up."

"Will you just spit it out!?"

"They think that you are a kuudere or a tsundere. There's still some debate."

I frown at this. Is that why that girl was looking at me so intently?

"And they think that despite your delinquent reputation, you are actually really kindhearted…but they also think that you are trying to steal Inoue-san from her boyfriend."

"Wha-a why would they think that?!" Inoue asks in a high-pitched voice.

"Well, since they don't believe that you two are together, they think you are dating someone else," he directs to her. "And because you two were being all love-dovey this morning in public, they made the assumption that Ichigo has feelings for you and is now taking action to gain your affection."

"Why didn't they just make the assumption that we are dating?" I ask in exasperation.

"Who knows? But I tell you: this is way more fun than the rumors I spread of you and Kuchiki-san."

"What did you say?"

He picks up his phone.

"Nothing."

I sigh.

"I really tried to clear the misunderstanding," she says quietly beside me.

"I know. Don't worry about it too much."

"But!"

I poke her creased forehead, and she rubs it absentmindedly.

"All you have to do is pick me over your boyfriend," I tease her.

"Kurosaki-kun~"

I poke her forehead again, and she sticks her tongue out.

"See? I told you. They just go off in their own little world," Mizuiro states.

"Sorry," she apologizes with a smile, and we all laugh at her almost unapologetic apology.

After we quiet down, Chad asks where we were last night, and Inoue fills in everyone about our adventure. She leaves some part out like the tattoo thing, but other than that, she is pretty detailed. I offer a little bit of what happened to me, but I exclude all the important parts, and by the time we are done recounting our night, lunch is over.

I walk Inoue to her class, and while we walk, I notice the stares and whispers that follow us. It's strange to think that they believe I'm trying to get Inoue to break up her with her boyfriend just to date me. I mean, if she were dating someone else, I wouldn't so blatantly pursue her like that. I would do my best to support her.

"You…you don't regret accepting my confession, do you?"

I look down at her. She's avoiding eye contact with me.

I snort.

"Of course not. They're just rumors."

She still looks sad. I quickly try to think of something that will make her happy. Something that will get her mind off all these complications with our relationship.

"When is your next off day?"

Her despondent expression lifts for a second.

"Tomorrow?"

I chuckle.

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

Her cheeks puff out.

"I'm off tomorrow," she clarifies with a slight blush.

"Good. Ditch your boyfriend for the afternoon, and you and me will go on a date."

She starts to protest, but as she processes the whole sentences, she starts smiling not only with her lips but with her eyes. She's so happy that her reiatsu seems to seep out of her, irradiating her in a golden glow.

"Really?"

"Really."

She giggles in glee, and she lets out a small squeal before telling me bye and sitting in her seat.

I go back to my own class, and I wait out the rest of day. And when school is finally out, I take my spot outside and wait for her. She doesn't take long like yesterday. If anything, she runs to my side. I tease her about her eagerness to be next to me, but instead of getting embarrassed, she tilts her head and agrees with my observation. And she's so serious that I have to admit that I'm happy to be by her side, too. But instead of stating it as bluntly as she does, I have to look away and quietly confess it. Which gives her the opportunity to tease me.

Thankfully, she doesn't do it for long. Instead, she tells me about her day, and I try to listen to her attentively. I really do. But her reiatsu is still emanating from her, and the hum of it fills my head like the sweetest of music.

"Are you listening, Kurosaki-kun?"

"I was. But just to be sure, can you repeat it again?"

Instead of getting annoyed, she laughs goodheartedly.

"You don't have to walk me home tonight. Tatsuki-chan is picking me up."

I frown.

"Why?"

She blushes.

"No reason. Oh…I can't meet you in the morning or at lunch."

My frown grows deeper.

"And I'll be a little late after school."

Although I am less than pleased to have my time with her reduced so much, I try to keep the atmosphere light as I ask, "You're not canceling our date, are you?"

She shakes her head.

"Nuh-uh. It's just…Tatsuki-chan told me to keep it a secret."

"When did you talk to Tatsuki?"

She laughs lightly and rubs her head.

"I'm not as good as a student as Ishida-kun thinks."

"Were you messaging in class, Inoue?"

A sheepish grin takes over her face.

"A little."

I click my tongue in feigned scolding.

"It's Kurosaki-kun's fault, anyways."

"My fault?"

She doesn't respond. She's already throwing a goodbye over her shoulder as she enters the bakery.

I mull over the idea of staying and watching her work, but I rule it out. I still need to go to work to pay for future dates. So, I head to work.

It's uneventful, for the most part. And since I can't walk Inoue home, the rest of my day continues in the same monotonous way. It's only when I sit down for dinner that I'm snapped back into reality.

"Hey, Ichigo. Who's the prettiest girl at your school?"

I nearly choke.

"Why're you asking?"

Karin shrugs.

"There's this rumor that the prettiest girl in your school is finally dating. It's apparently a huge deal. So I wonder who it is."

I play dumb.

"How am I supposed to know? There's not some kind of list for everyone to see." Which is true. But it's also true that there is no contest about who the subject of the rumor is.

She doesn't let me off the hook.

"Well, who do you think is the prettiest girl in your school? Maybe it's the same girl."

I look between Yuzu and Karin's face. Yuzu looks interested. She's always liked gossip a little too much. But Karin…she looks like she's hinting at something. It's like she's trying to fish something out of me. Like she's a detective, and I'm the criminal.

"I don't know. I don't pay attention to that sort of thing." It's a white lie. I know Inoue is the prettiest girl in school. Hell, she might even be the prettiest girl in the world. But it's also true that I never paid attention to looks.

"See, Karin! I told you he wouldn't know!"

Another shrug.

"I was just curious to see if he did."

The topic changes to something else, but Karin keeps giving me side glances even when dad comes to eat and starts bugging her. Yes, it's suspicious. As is the text I get from Tatsuki as I'm about to go to sleep. A text with two sentences that explain nothing.

 **Tomorrow, bring nice clothes. Put them on as soon as school ends.**

I don't bother to send an inquiring text. I have an inkling that the demand stems from the date I have with Inoue. So before I sleep, I fold a black dress shirt and a brand new pair of dark blue jeans in my bag.

It's a nice outfit. It's one of my better ones. But it feels as if I'm wearing rags when I finally see Inoue after school.

She wears a wool, dark green dress that hugs her curves in a way that tells me that Tatsuki chose it. It's short, but her gray tights cover any skin that it wouldn't have been able to. Her hair, although it looks like she didn't do anything to it, shines brilliantly. Or maybe that's just her. Maybe that's her natural glow.

She walks over to me slowly with a small smile, but she looks down as she does it.

She's nervous, which somehow eases all the nerves that I didn't even realize I had until then.

"You're beautiful," I tell her as she stops in front of me.

Her head snaps up, revealing her red cheeks and relieved expression.

"You too," she says back.

"I'm beautiful?" I question with mirth in my voice.

She blushes harder as she nods.

A laugh builds up in my throat until I take in our surroundings. And what bothers me the most is not the random groups of people looking at us and whispering. No. It's a group of annoying people I sense watching us from a window inside the school.

"Let's go, yeah?"

She hums in agreement, and we take off.

While we walk, she's quiet. Her nerves are palpable. I can see it in the way she walks, the way she clasps her hands behind her tightly, the way she gnaws on her lip. I can feel her jitters in her reiatsu.

"Are you nervous because it's our first date, or are you nervous because your boyfriend might catch us?" I teasingly ask in an attempt to calm her.

It works. She gives me a playful glare.

"He won't catch us. He's out of town," she responds with a cavalier tone that I'm not used to her using. In fact, I'm taken aback by her response.

"Careful, Inoue," I warn. I stuff my hands into my pockets as I give her a side-glance. "I might get jealous."

She blushes before she starts laughing.

"What?"

She shakes her head.

"It's just too funny. He's the one that should be jealous," she explains through giggles.

It's my turn to playfully glare at her.

"Oi! That boyfriend of yours better be fictitious or else."

"Or else what?" She asks as she leans closer to me. Now that all of her nerves are soothed, she seems to be in a teasing mood. This somehow makes my heart speed up and my mind slow down, which is how an unintelligible response comes out of my mouth.

She grins.

"Kurosaki-kun is all bark and no bite, ne?"

I blush and look away. But when I spot a certain shop, I turn back with a smirk.

"No bite, huh?" Her head tilts in confusion. My smirk grows.

"You know…I was thinking about what Rangiku-san said," I begin.

"What did she say?"

I point at the shop, and her eyes follow my finger.

"About you getting a tattoo. I mean, I have one. Maybe you should get one, too."

This, of course, is nothing more than teasing. I just want to make her sweat. To make her see that I am not just all threats. I'm a man of action. And I think she's regretting her words because she freezes where she stands. But then in the next second, her shoulders relax, and she smiles.

"You're right!" she exclaims as she takes a step toward the parlor. "But I wonder what should I get? Hmm…"

Instinctively, my arm wraps around her waist to stop her from walking forward.

"Do you want Tatsuki to kill me?" I ask.

She tilts her head back until it hits my chest lately. Her eyes sparkle as she grins up at me.

"I called your bluff, Kurosaki-kun~" she sings.

I roll my eyes as I look down at her, and it's at that moment that I realize her back is completely pressed against me. It's at that moment that I realize my arm that holds her tightens to keep her close. And it's at that moment that I realize my heart is beating like crazy.

"I swear you'll kill me one day."

She frowns at my words, but all I do is make my arm release her. I sidestep her and continue walking.

"There's a nice restaurant just around the corner. You're hungry, right?"

She catches up to my side.

"A little."

I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm wonderful. Why?"

I eye her in doubt.

"It's unusual for you to not be hungry," I tell her.

She blushes and glances at the ground. She shrugs.

I squint at her for a second more before my attention is drawn to the restaurant I planned to take her. It's a lavish one. One that I wouldn't even know of if I hadn't done a couple of odd jobs here. Hopefully, she'll like it.

Someone that I don't remember comes to escort us to a table, and once we are there, I try to be chivalrous and pull out the chair for her. But she misunderstands because she walks around the table and sits down.

I'm forced to sit down on both the chair and the romantic gesture.

"Hey, Ichigo!" I feel a hand slap me on the back. "It's been a while."

I turn my head.

"Oh, Taku. What's up?"

"Not much," he says as he places a hand on my shoulder while the other sets our menus on the table. "Who's this? You're girlfriend?"

Her face turns red before she bows her head in greeting.

"Really? But she's so gorgeous!"

"Stop ogling her, and take our drink orders!" I snap at him.

"Good luck with this one," he says to her. "He's got a temper."

She giggles.

"I know."

They both laugh at my expense, and I glare at him.

He holds up his hand in surrender.

"I get it, already. You want her all to yourself. I'll go get you your drinks."

He starts walking away.

"We haven't order anything yet!"

He waves a hand, ignoring my remark.

I sigh.

"He seems nice."

"He is," I agree. "But he's as tiring as Keigo."

She laughs as she looks down at the menu.

"That must be really fun."

"Only you would say that."

"Say what?" Taku asks as he places a fruity looking drink in front of Inoue and a water in front of me.

I ignore his question.

"Why am I just getting a water?"

"Well, if you look anything like," he pauses.

My eye twitches as I tell him her name.

"Right. If you look anything like Inoue-san, I'd be getting you the Tropical Delight, too."

I scowl.

"Um…If you want, Kurosaki-kun, we can share it," she offers.

I shake my head.

"You just enjoy, Inoue."

She smiles.

"'Inoue'…'Kurosaki-kun'…you two are dating but not on first name bases, yet? I guess that means I still have a chance," Taku teases.

I glower, and his smile turns down as he asks for our order. I get the chicken katsu while she gets just a salad, which is abnormal, but as Taku leaves, her food choice is not what's on my mind.

"It is kind of weird that we don't use each other's first name. We are dating, after all." She nods slowly. "You should try."

"Try what?"

I place my chin in my hand.

"My name. Try to say my name."

She blushes.

"Kurosaki-kun." She states confidently.

I shake my head, and the serious face I'm trying to maintain starts to slip.

"Try again."

She starts fidgeting in her chair.

"Kurosaki-kun," she repeats as she squeezes her eyes closed.

I smother a laugh in my palm before making a buzzing sound.

She lets out a small whine.

"You can do it. I believe in you."

She opens her eyes, revealing teary doe-eyes at me, and I almost regret my request and my teasing.

Almost.

"You're right," she whispers. "I can do it!"

I stare at her closely, and I watch as she takes a deep a breath.

"I-I…" she bites her lip. She then tries again. "Ichi—" I can feel myself lean in closer. "Ban," she finishes as she presses her cheek against the table. She suddenly looks tired.

"So close," I state in teasing voice.

She flushes and pouts.

"It's harder than you think," she complains. "You try."

"No problem."

She moves a little so that her chin is against the table instead of her cheek.

"Here I go."

She looks up at me.

I take a deep breath of my own.

"O…" I cough. My throat is unexpectedly dry. "O," I begin again. She abruptly sits up. "Ori—" Her hands grip the table cloth as she leans in closer. "Ori…" Her eyes take an expectant shine, and her cheeks are lightly dusted with a blush. "Me," I finish lamely.

"Orime?" She repeats with a laugh.

I blush in embarrassment.

"Wh-whatever! First names are dumb anyways," I declare stubbornly as I cross my arms.

"Yeah," she agrees with a grin. "They are dumb."

I can't tell if she's sincere or if she's mocking me, but given the clenching feeling in my stomach, it might be the latter.

"Well, I got closer than you did."

"Nope. It was a tie."

"Was not," I counter.

"Oooh. An argument. How fun," Taku interrupts as he serves us our food.

I give him an unamused look which he returns with a smile.

He asks if we needed anything else, and we say no. He then gives Inoue a flirtatious look.

"Call me when you get tired of this guy. Okay, cutie?"

She gives a wide grin that instantly makes me worried and more jealous than I'd like to admit, but before I can express it, she responds with "Then I won't be calling you," in a cherry voice.

I chuckle in surprise and hidden satisfaction.

"Wow. Snarky. You two are perfect for each other," he amusingly comments before going to another customer.

Inoue and I look at each other, and I think we both are blushing in embarrassment.

"I like him," she admits quietly.

And this should rub me in the wrong way, but it doesn't. Because I know why she said it. She's pleased with Taku's parting words. And so am I.

So am I.

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	44. Time Will Tell

A/N: No excuses for my absence. I just lost the drive to write. My muse left. Plain and simple. So today, I sat down and tried to push myself to write, and I did. If it's not great, I'm sorry, but I felt I made you all wait long enough. Big thanks to Bleachfanficfanatic for her help as always. I think I forgot to mention that she helped me out last chapter, too. My bad.

Now, I had planned for the pace to be slow for a bit longer, but I don't know if I'll get out of this writer's block, so I've decided to speed it up a bit. From this chapter on, I think it will be more one-shot style than how it usually is. Less dialogue, too. I don't want to do this, but if I keep going at the same speed I'm going now, it'll be ten years until I finish, and I won't do that to you all.

Anyways, please keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing. Thank you all for being patient with me and for all the glowing reviews. Beartes review really made me gush!

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"What are you doing?"

She looks up in confusion.

"Eating?"

I eye her dubiously. I mean, she's not wrong. She is eating, but she's not eating in the way that I'm used to. She's picking at her food in almost careful consideration. The whole process is precise and slow, and that's just not her.

It's disconcerting.

"Are you?" I counter.

She blushes as she rubs her head.

"It's weird, right? Me trying to act like a lady."

I frown.

"What are you talking about?"

"The girls at lunch told me to not eat a lot and to eat slowly. To be more proper," she admits quietly.

I cross my arms, annoyed. Not at her but at her friends who tried to change her.

"I've already seen the way you eat, Inoue. And although it can be frightening at times, I like it."

She laughs.

"Frightening?"

I uncross my arms and extend my index finger towards her, narrowing my eyes.

"Don't think I forgot the incident where Tatsuki almost lost her fingertip."

She wrinkles her nose.

"That wasn't my fault!" She begins to defend herself while blushing. "I thought Tatsuki moved her hand!"

I shake my head in good humor.

"That'll be the last time she tries to feed you, you know," I comment.

She deflates a bit as she agrees with me.

"But I must admit that I'm surprised Tatsuki told you to change."

She starts waving her hands in front of her in alarm.

"Tatsuki-chan had training today, so she wasn't there today at lunch."

"Well, if she was there, she would've told you to be yourself because I…I like you just the way you are."

I can't meet her eyes as I admit this to her, and it's not because I am lying. I'm not. But it's because my words are so true that it's embarrassing.

"Me too," she says quietly. I look at her. "I like all of Kurosaki-kun."

The last confession is said without any hesitation. Without any doubt. No quiver in her voice. Just absolute sincerity in her tone and unwavering gaze. A gaze that entrances me in every possible way. And those feelings, those light and dark feelings that only she can evoke, whirl up in me, clashing against each other in an almost violent dance. Who leads in the dance, I can't tell, and I don't want to find out, so I look down, breaking our eye contact, which provides a temporary relief.

To gain a couple of seconds to gather myself, I focus on the task of moving some of my food onto her plate. When she lightly protests, saying that she's not hungry, I point out that she's already eating, and this teasing allows for those intense feelings to slow down into a subdued waltz. And watching her eat in her usual carefree, rambunctious manner further calms me down until I can think clearly.

She likes all of me? It seems improbable. Impossible even. More than that, it seems impracticable to like me so, impractical for her to do so, but…

I put my utensils down.

"Since when?" I probe gently.

She blinks slowly as she swallows a bite of her food. She tilts her head in confusion.

"When did you start liking me?" _All of me,_ I want to add but omit.

She sets her own utensils down, and her hands disappear under the table.

"You probably don't remember," she begins in a whisper while she casts her eyes down. I want to disagree with her, but I keep silent as she continues. "We had just started high school, and I wasn't really comfortable being in school with older classmates."

I want to ask why, but I don't dare interrupt.

"Tatsuki-chan would usually be by my side, but she had to stay and talk with a teacher, so I waited outside for her. It was fine until an upper classman passed by. He started out nice, but then he started to be mean about my clips." At this, she gently touches them. "I tried to be polite, and I tried to leave, but he was too forceful. He kept blocking my path. He then tried to take my clips from my hair, saying they were too childish."

She takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes.

"And then," she smiles in nostalgia. "Before he could lay a finger on them, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. I was looking down at the time, so I didn't see who the hand belonged to, but I recognized the voice as he said—"

"'Don't touch Inoue,'" I finish for her.

Her eyes widen.

"You remember?" She asks in surprise.

I nod. I probably remember it better than she does.

I had to stay behind because a teacher was lecturing me about my hair. By the time I left his classroom, everyone had already left to go home, and I was using the now empty courtyard as a short cut. Well, I thought it was empty, but I heard this voice from a distance. I couldn't see where the voice was coming from, but I could hear what he was saying.

He was hitting on a girl. He was complimenting her in an obnoxious way, and although it was annoying to hear, it wasn't my business so I just ignored it. Until I heard a familiar voice. And then I couldn't ignore it any longer.

When I finally spotted them, when I looked at Inoue who was close to tears as she held her head while the guy reached for her, I moved without thinking. Before I could even comprehend how I moved so quickly, I was already grabbing the guy's wrist. I had tightened my fingers around his wrist as I threatened him. He had looked like he wanted fight back, but with a glare and a punishing squeeze, he backed down and left.

As I looked back at her, she was trembling. I had thought at the time that she was scared of me, and I was just about to leave when she looked up and gave me a grateful smile with teary eyes. I remember that I had been embarrassed by her gratitude, and I told her that she didn't need to thank me. She had shaken her head and said that she did. That I saved her most precious possession that she got from her brother, and she said she couldn't thank me enough. I just replied that if they are that important to her, she should do anything to protect them next time for her sake and her brother's.

When she fell silent, I thought I offended her, and before I could apologize, Tatsuki came. And after a quick explanation given by Inoue, Tatsuki thanked me before scolding Inoue for not using her training. She then started to lead Inoue away, but before they disappeared around the corner, Inoue had turned around and waved. She had grinned, and with a smile that reached her eyes, she had yelled, "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun!"

It was the first time someone addressed me in that kind of familiarity yet respectful way. The first time _she_ addressed me. The first time she said my name.

How could I not remember?

"You not only saved me, but you also listened to my ramblings."

"That's when you started liking me?"

She nods.

"I already knew that the rumors about you were lies," she admits. "But it was at that moment that I realized how kind you truly were."

Reactively, I almost argue with her statement because it seems untrue to me. The memory she inaccurately remembers occurred only a couple of days after the first day of school, and in that time span, I got in a few fights, which spurred the rumors surrounding me to increase.

But before I can open my mouth, a memory of my own starts to form in my head.

It was the first day of school. I had been early since I walked Karin and Yuzu to their school. I had just passed the gate when I saw a few people pointing and whispering, boys and girls alike. I thought that they might be gossiping about me, but as my eyes followed a finger, I found their focus.

Ahead of me, a girl with auburn hair that reminded me too much of a sunset had stopped in the middle of the pathway and was looking up at the sky. I looked up, too, trying to find what fascinated her, and what entranced the other students, but I didn't see anything. So I looked down and back at her.

That was when I knew what everyone was looking at.

She was beautiful. I could only see her profile, but it was undeniable. But then she turned around, and my eyes found hers. My eyes were met with the warmest brown honey-like eyes I had ever seen, and it was at that moment that I knew she wasn't just beautiful. She was something unearthly.

I had expected, like other times, for her to take one look at me and cower in fear. It was the kind of response I had coaxed in people. But…her eyes had just widened. And then she smiled.

I had been so confused, so bewildered that I felt myself scowling instinctively at her weird response. I thought that she would definitely lose her smile, turn around, and run away, but her smile grew, and she laughed. And not in a mean way. It was an inviting laugh. It was like she was laughing with me instead of at me, laughing at some inside joke she and I shared.

It had been strange, but before I could think more about it, Chad called out to me, and I looked over my shoulder to greet him. By the time I turned back, she was gone like a ghost.

It wasn't until Mizuiro, Keigo, Chad, and I stepped into our homeroom that I found out she wasn't a ghost that everyone could see. She was just a regular student.

She had glanced up to look at us, and our eyes met again. Hers enlarged in surprise while mine narrowed in suspicion until a voice drew my attention to the side of her.

It was Tatsuki. She had called my name, and she waved me over. I listened to her all the while thinking that it was an odd combination to see. Tatsuki still exuded her fierceness while she exuded gentleness. It was really odd.

But a quick introduction told me that their friendship was not just odd but strong as well, but instead of commenting on it, I looked straight at the girl that Tatsuki just introduced to me.

I predicted that she would immediately look away. I had a forming bruise on my cheek from the fight Chad and I were just in, and I was dirty from the fly-away dirt that was kicked up. I was disheveled in a way that made the girl next to her lean away from me in fright, but she just had that smile.

With our eyes locked in a stare, she told me it was nice to meet me.

And she truly meant it.

Till this day, I don't know why she was so sincere. I had assumed that she was nice to me because that was her demeanor or that Tatsuki told her to be, but then why did she laugh? Why did she smile?

I unknowingly voice my questions at her, and she looks mildly embarrassed.

"Promise you won't get mad?" She asks with lowered eyelashes and a small voice.

I chuckle at her worried expression before I nod and take a sip of water.

"I was really nervous the first day of school, and even though Tatsuki-chan would soon be my side, I still felt uneasy. I spent all morning talking with Ani to calm my nerves, but it wasn't working. Then I heard whispering when I was walking toward the school's entrance door, and my uneasiness grew. But I noticed what they were whispering about," her voice rises in excitement. "In the sky, there were two birds chasing each other like they were playing a game of tag!"

I inwardly sigh at yet another detail she misunderstood.

"I was so memorized by the sight that I stopped walking. I couldn't tear my eyes away, so when they flew behind me, I followed their movements. That's when I saw you." At this pause, she stares into my eyes, and our gaze doesn't just make remember the past, I'm thrown back into it. Into that first moment where our eyes would interlock for the first time without any pain or tears or sympathy attached to them. Our first true meeting. "You looked tenser than I felt. Guarded for some unknown reason, and I don't know why, but seeing you like that, you…reminded me of a kitten."

I'm teleported back to the present.

"A kitten?" I ask with an incredulous tone.

"Mmm." She nods quickly. "One of those orange, fluffy tabbies with its hair standing on end as a warning to everyone else. It was really cute."

I frown in embarrassment.

"I couldn't help but to smile when I looked at you. And then," she pauses to let out a giggle. "You scowled at me." She attempts to smother her laughs by covering her mouth, but her eyes give her away as they sparkle in laughter. "It was like you hissed at me! It was cuteness overload!"

I look down.

"Something is wrong with your head, Inoue. No one in their right mind would think like that," I mumble. Me, cute? No way.

She pouts as she shakes her head.

"I think I'm the only one who has my mind right, then," she states.

I glance back up at her, and I watch her defiantly stare at me, daring me to challenge her.

I sigh as I lay my cheek against my fist.

"Do you still see me as a kitten?" I ask, choosing to bypass her declaration.

She blinks before closing her eyes in thought.

"Umm…Rather than a kitten, I think you are more fitted to be a lion."

My eyebrow quirks up.

"How so?"

She purses her lips.

"Well, you are strong," she begins while holding up a finger like she's counting the similarities. "Courageous." She adds another finger. "Fierce." Another. "Protective." Another. "And most of all, although you are intimidating, you can be the sweetest, cutest thing in the world," she finishes as she clasps her hands together.

I open my fist so I can spread my fingers across my cheeks to hide my blush.

"So I've just been upgraded to a bigger cat?"

She laughs.

"I guess. But I do imagine you in different ways, so don't get to hung up about it," she explains.

I sit up straighter.

"Oh? Like what?"

She flushes.

"Kurosaki-kun's not being fair! All of my secrets are being revealed one after the other."

I snort.

"Is that my fault?"

She nods.

"I suppose you want me to share some of mine."

She nods with more vigor, earnestly, and I sigh again.

Vulnerability. That's what she asking of me. She wants to know me, and that really shouldn't be a problem. She and I have been friends for years. And we do know each other. Even more than that, she's seen me at my worst, at my weakest. She's seen my faults, my failures…she's seen it, and she still wants to know _more._

So even though I'm adverse to it, I give her what she wants: I allow myself to be vulnerable.

"What do you want to know?" I ask as I take a sip of my water.

Her eyes light up in excitement.

"Was Tatsuki-chan your first crush?!"

I nearly spit the water at her.

But I manage to swallow before that could happen; although the water goes down the wrong pipe, making me cough.

"Are you crazy!" I direct at her with a hoarse voice. "Why would you ask that?!"

"You two were childhood friends so…"

"So what? That's all she was."

"Oh."

Why does she look disappointed?

"That's not what you wanted to hear?"

She shrugs.

"I just thought that if she were your first crush, we would have that in common."

My eyes bulge out of my socket.

"Tatsuki was your first crush?"

She rubs her head.

"Maybe? Anyways, if it wasn't Tatsuki-chan, who was it?"

The desire to redirect the topic back is powerful, but that would be me unraveling her secrets when it should be the other way around. But I'll file this for later. There's no way in hell that I wouldn't question her about it.

"I never really thought about it," I tell her. Again, the disappointed expression reappears. I continue after a pause. "But if I had to name someone, your name is the only one that pops up in my head."

"Me?" She points at herself.

I chuckle.

"Is that still disappointing?"

She shakes her head slowly.

"Surprising," she clarifies.

I chuckle.

"Took me surprise, too," I admit. Her head tilts as she stares into my eyes. "I didn't know that I liked you until recently. But all the signs were there."

Her eyebrows raise.

"Signs?"

I nod.

"You know, you've haunted me since we were twelve," I begin. She looks down, probably because she was not prepared for the painful memory I'm about to bring up. "I didn't know your name, but I remembered your face that day. Your pain. I remembered how you didn't blame my dad. You just thanked him even when your world was crashing around you. I remembered that sad girl."

She's still looking down, and maybe I should have rethought about divulging the past. But it's too late to take my words back so I just forge through.

"And then I met this kind, smiling girl on the first day of high school." She looks up, and her eyes are still reflecting a residue of sadness but also curiosity at the prolepsis in my story. "I knew that within the first couple of hours of meeting her, she was not only kind but extremely clumsy and accident prone."

"That's not true," she murmurs.

"Matter of fact, she was so klutzy that I worried about her, and when I found out she was too trusting, I worried about her more." She blushes. "So the kind, smiling girl preoccupied my thoughts time after time, but it still didn't click that the sad girl I met three years ago and my classmate were the same person until a month or so had passed in school."

"You really didn't know?"

"How could I? The you I met at my home and the you I met in school were two completely different people. But sad or happy, you were the one at the back of my mind. And as we grew to be friends, you were the one person I was most concerned about. The one person that I cared the most about what you thought of me. More than anyone else, you were the one I had to protect. Who knew that the more I tried to protect you, the more danger I would put you through, though," I add as an afterthought.

"That doesn't mean you had a crush on me," she responds lightly, dejectedly. "That just means I was so weak that you felt the need to protect me."

I scowl.

"You're not weak, Inoue," I state a bit too intensely, sincerely. "Do you not know how many people would be dead without you? How I would be dead without you?"

She stays silent.

"Maybe it's my fault you think that way," I tell her. She looks ready to disagree. "But I just…seeing you in pain…it hurts more than if I had been injured directly, so that's why I'd risk everything to protect you. And maybe that doesn't prove anything, but I didn't, I don't," I correct before continuing, "protect you just to keep you safe, Inoue. I protect you because that smiling girl that you are and that sad girl that you were, I want both of them to be safe and happy. I want you happy, Inoue. More than anyone."

By now, her face is bright red, and I know mine is the same shade. I feel almost breathless due to how much I talked. I feel embarrassed at the clunky and awkward way I tried to express myself. And yet…I feel relieved. Relieved that she finally knows the depths of my feelings, and talking them aloud, I even realize myself how much I have truly fallen for her.

"So now you know," I say as I watch her face closely. "You were—What's happening?"

She's currently making a worrisome expression. Her eyebrows are knit together, and her mouth is pursed. She looks like she's glaring at me.

"I'm trying not to cry," she gets out in a quiet voice.

I feel my shoulders slump in relief.

"I said something cute?"

She nods while making that scrunched up face. I chuckle as I reach over and poke her forehead.

The instant my finger makes contact with her skin, her face relaxes, and tears start to run down her flushed cheeks. I quickly hand her my napkin.

"It's no handkerchief, but it'll have to do."

She gives a watery laugh.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying on our first date," she apologizes. She sniffles.

"I have a feeling that it would be weird if you didn't."

Again, she laughs.

"Oh, good! You're laughing," Taku says out of nowhere. "I was worried I would have to fight Ichigo."

"Fight me?"

"Yeah. For making Inoue-san cry."

This sobers Inoue up.

"It's not like that! These are tears of happiness!"

He smirks at me.

"I never knew you were such a lady-killer."

"I'm not. She's just a cry-baby."

She looks like she wants to take offense to my comment, but she just wipes her face and shrugs.

"Well, I'm sorry for interrupting. I'll bring you a dessert on the house," Taku offers as he clears our dishes from our table.

"You don't have to," Inoue interjects.

He smiles at her.

"It's not every day Ichigo brings a girl here."

I bristle.

"It's not _any_ day I bring a girl here," I stress.

"I stand by what I said," Taku replies as he leaves.

"What a pain," I remark before turning back to her. "You okay?"

"I think so?" I give her questioning look. "It's just when I think about me being your first crush, my heart beats too fast."

"This must be what Tatsuki must be feeling, knowing she was your first crush," I tease.

"She…It's not…Don't tell her, Kurosaki-kun!" She practically whines.

I pretend to mull it over, enjoying the anxious expression she gives. Does that make me a sadist?

God, I hope not.

"We'll see how the rest of the night goes."

"Kurosaki-kun!"

I laugh as she threatens to throw the used napkin at me.

So now she knows she was my first crush. Only time will tell what other first she'll be for me.

Only time will tell.


	45. 14 Kisses

A/N: Hello! I've know I have been gone for a long time. I just lost the drive to write. It's still missing, but I had this idea in my mind from the beginning of HHD, so I sucked it up (even with a three-day fever) and finished this chapter. If it's not great, I'm sorry. You'll see mistakes. When I feel better, I'll edit this chapter.

Anyways, enjoy! P.S. Thanks to all my loyal fans. I know I'm pain for not writing.

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The dessert Taku places in front of us is sweet. As is the rest of the night for that matter. Sweet expressions are soon exchanged for sweet stories which leads to sweet teasing. It's an endless cycle. And it's only when I walk her to her apartment door that the sweetness of our first date meets another component: bitterness.

It's quite obvious that neither of us want to part, but we are too new at this that we don't know how to prolong this night any longer, so with my hand rubbing my neck and her hands clasped together, we encounter our first, awkward goodbye as a couple.

It's bitter-sweet.

But that sweetness, even tainted by its troublesome, fickle partner, continues day after day that I spend with her. Even through the teasing we endure by our friends, the teasing I endure from my sisters who have yet to be deterred from my lack of compliance to give a name, the rumors that have only multiplied and have become even more distorted, the sweetness persists. However, it reaches a premium height when a day that's the epitome of bitter-sweetness approaches.

Valentin's Day. A holiday that never really warranted any favor in me. A day in which I would receive a chocolate from Yuzu, a snide remark from Karin, a kick from dad, and sometimes, a treat or two left on my desk or in my cubicle.

This year is different.

Yuzu doesn't give me any chocolate. She says that my girlfriend should be the only one giving me anything. Karin tells me not to be too much of a pervert today. Dad presence, as it has been for the past two weeks, is sporadic. I comment that they are all being ridiculous.

The day, even though different from the previous ones, is still similar.

Mizuiro still has plans with an older lady, Keigo is still complaining that he's not as popular as he liked to be, and I still garner a few cheap chocolates given to me anonymously.

But even in those similarities, she is still the one component in each year that remains enigmatic.

Now, the first year of high school, she didn't give anyone anything. We were all recovering from the Winter War, and even though the physical wounds were gone, the mental and emotional ones hadn't healed, especially for her. She had been remote and quiet, so when Valentin's Day rolled around, no one expected her to be her usual self, and she wasn't. She didn't give anything, and she didn't receive anything. Not that I know of, anyway.

Last year, it had been a bit different. She was more like herself. Bubbly and happy. She had came to the roof and delivered some decorated bread that she got from her new job. She signaled no one out, and the blush she had I chalked up to the cool air. And if she received any gifts, she didn't tell me. All I knew was that she didn't receive any letters or confessions when I was by her side. My intimidating presence had scared any confessors that year.

Little did I know that my actions were more than just caused by feelings of protectiveness.

But now I know. And somehow, it's worse.

For some reason, despite the rumors that she's taken, that she and I are in some twisted courtship, she's getting confessed to left and right. Glares start to have no effect on deterring those brazen perverts, and the reiatsu that starts to seep out due to jealousy makes no one but her nervous.

It's a hellish day for me. Tiring. Even more so that she decides to have lunch with her friends, which would have been fine on any other day, but because it is this day, Keigo relentlessly jokes that Inoue is gearing up to dump me. That may bug me more than the onslaught of confessions she gets.

The day only starts to fill me with more and more bitterness. When school ends, I've already decided that the day could only get worse as I see her come out of the building while bowing an apology to the guy who wanted a chance to declare his feelings.

However, my decision wavers as we walk side-by-side. And when she begins telling me about her lunch with her friends, that bitterness evaporates little by little. But it's only when she starts going on about how one of friends taught her how to read palms that my mood elevates.

"Oh? So you can read my future?" I ask her as we walk.

She nods.

"Yup! I can if you'd like…unless Kurosaki-kun's scared," she teases.

I scoff as I hold out a hand palm-up for her.

Next thing I know, I feel a hand under mine, bracing it, and then I feel fingertips skimming against my skin, and albeit ticklish, the sensations have me blushing. Too much that I have to turn my head away from her to calm myself.

She hums in concertation.

"Your life line tells me," she begins as a finger strokes the middle of my hand, "that Kurosaki-kun will live a long, healthy life."

It's at this point I realize that we've stopped walking.

"This line tells me you'll live a happy life of modest wealth," she continues softly. I look at her briefly to see that her head is down, her hair covering her face, and when she glances up to meet my gaze, I look away.

"And this line," she trails off as her fingers brush the top of my hand.

"This line what?" I mumble out as I fixate my eyes on a cloud.

I hear her take a deep breath, and I feel her fingertips pause on my skin before the feel of her hands disappear altogether.

"This li—" I begin to repeat as I turn my head toward her.

And then everything stops.

In the second it takes to realize what's happening, my breath catches in my throat, my heart stills, and my blood freezes. The only the thing that defies this phenomenon is that of my mind halting, it races as it tries to capture every nanosecond. As it tries to save the warmth of her fingers entwining with mine. As it tries to burn the image of the scarlet that paints her cheeks. As it tries to imprint the way she squeezes my hand before tugging me forward so that she walks in front of me, pulling me along.

As the next second begins, everything sets in motion. My lungs fill with fast, shaky breaths, my heart beats like crazy, and my blood rushes toward my face. And I'm glad she doesn't look back at me right now.

Because it would make the next thing I plan to do impossible.

"I knew you couldn't tell the future."

She again squeezes my hand, and I watch as she shakes her head.

"I can," she softly insists. "Your heart line...is very strong."

I blush even harder.

"Wow. So cheesy."

"A lot of people like cheese," she defends.

I chuckle.

"So this is what you were doing at lunch? Scheming about ways to hold my hand? How bold."

She stops walking.

"How daring," I press.

She let's go of my hand and turns around.

Babbling. Blushing. Beautiful. At that moment, she's transcendent. And when she's waving her hands in front of her, denying her forward actions, I reach out with my hands to grab hers, I lower my head, I close the distance between her and I, and I kiss her.

It's brief, and it's not perfect, but it's us. And when I pull back, I let her see the reactions that only she can cause.

"Can't let you be the only one who is bold in our relationship," I whisper as I pull back a little.

She pouts.

"I'm not bold."

"You confessed first, hugged me, and you made a move on me."

"I didn't make a move!"

"Sure you di-"

She cuts my teasing short by wrapping her arms around my neck, reaching up, and kissing me.

This kiss, initiated by her, imprints in my soul more than the kiss I gave her. This kiss is a bit longer, more perfectly imperfect, if that makes sense, and it's us, it is, but it's an us that exists for us only. An us that only she and I know.

"Now I made a move," she whispers after we part.

At this, I engulf her in a hug to not only hide my embarrassment but to hide hers as well. Because despite my teasing accusations of her being bold, she's as shy as I am. Yet she's the one making all the steps, making all the leaps, making all the moves.

But I won't be left behind any longer. I'll make sure of that.


	46. Home

A/N: Sorry…Love y'all!

* * *

Holding her hand…once an inconceivable thought, an unimaginable action, becomes second nature to me. Her hand, small as it is, holds mine in a way that I'm not sure I can entirely describe. Because when she holds my hand, it seems that she is able to, in some kind of inexplicable way, make me feel absolutely helpless and absolutely powerful simultaneously. And that feeling, those opposing ideas, is something I should have already grown used to; she's always had that effect on me. She's always had that ability to make me feel as if I could shoulder the weight of the world with ease or crumble just at the thought of it. She always had that power. Rather if she realized it or not, she did.

But she knows a little of it now.

After Valentine's day, which I must admit ended with a lack of chocolates but a whole lot of sweetness, she's grown somewhat aware of what she can do to me. What a simple squeeze of her hand can make me do. And it's not just her hand that can manipulate me like a puppet. It's her alone.

And oh, how she toys with me. And like a puppy starved for attention, all I can do, all I want to do, is wait for her to give me it. That attention. The simple gesture of her fingers slipping through mine, the innocent act of her arm linking with mine, the purposeful warmth of her palm pressed against my cheek, the hesitant arms that wrap around me, the brush of her lips on mine! That attention she gives…how she toys with me!

And I think I can toy with her, too. Like I have some power over her like she does me. But I don't. I am weak to her. I try to tease her, and yet, she flips it. It is I who is teased. It is I who is left blushing, left bumbling. It is I who is weak.

But she does have moments of weakness.

When I invite her to meet my family for instance.

She's met them all before. She knows them. She shouldn't be nervous. But she is. Which is how I feel her somewhere close but a little distant from my house on that Saturday morning. I can't help but chuckle as I rush down the stairs and out the front door.

I spot her across the street, pacing in a small circle. As I approach her, which she doesn't notice, I hear her talking to herself.

It's cute.

"Oi!" I call out to her. She stops pacing and stares at me. "Did you go crazy? Shall I go get you a straightjacket?"

"Kurosaki-kun!" She greets as she skips toward me. She smiles brightly at me before glancing back at my house. Her expression grows wary.

I reach out and place a hand on her head.

"Why are you so worried? They know you."

She shakes her head.

"They know me as your friend. Not as your girlfriend," she whispers.

I sigh before I pull her into a hug.

"It doesn't matter what you are, Inoue. They love you."

Her head moves a little, and I look down. She stares up into my eyes. She is still worried.

"If they don't…if they hate me…will you still like me?"

Oh, how she toys with me…

I hug her tighter to me, tucking her head under my chin.

"You must have really gone crazy, huh?"

I hear a small sniffle in my arms.

"Don't ask such stupid questions, alright?" I pull back.

"But Kurosaki-kun…you didn't answer my stupid question."

I snort before I let her go to hold her hand. I start pulling her toward my house.

"You worry too much, Inoue," I remark as I reach my front door. I turn slightly to give a small smile. "You worry over things that you should never worry about," I finish as I open the door. "Karin! Yuzu! We have a guest!"

Quickly, I feel Inoue pull her hand away from mine. I hear her shuffle behind me, too. Like she's trying to hide from my sisters who are downright giddy to meet the mysterious girl that I've been seeing. The girl that I have yet to introduce to them. The girl that I have been hogging to myself for the last few weeks.

Which wasn't too far off from the truth. I did want to keep her all to myself. It's why I hadn't formally brought Inoue over to my home. But it was time. Time to stop monopolizing her.

Yuzu is the first out of the two to come greet us. Well, me, really, as Inoue is still clinging to my shirt, hiding behind me.

"Yuzu," I begin before I see Karin a few steps behind her. "Karin. There is someone I like you two to meet." The grip on my t-shirt tightens. "She's very important to me," I start while a blush spreads across my face. Karin chuckles, and Yuzu lets out a small squeal.

I roll my eyes before I move my head slightly to look at the girl who is looking up at me with terrified eyes. I sigh.

How she toys with me.

"Very important, so be kind to her," I finish as I nod my head at Inoue for her to introduce herself. She shakes her head, still hesitant, but I try to give her an encouraging smile. Which seems to work as she lets go of my shirt. She takes a deep breath, and she steps out from behind me.

I hear two gasps, but my eyes remain focused on the girl who is bowing.

"It's nice to meet you both!" She yells. I chuckle at her lack of volume control. "I am Inoue Orihime! I have been seeing your older brother for the last few weeks!" She somehow bows even more. "He's also very important to me," she whispers.

"I knew it!" Karin shouts.

"Onii-chan, you are dating Orihime-chan?" Yuzu asks innocently. But the question itself makes Inoue freeze as she begins to straighten from her bowed position, and I think maybe Inoue doesn't hear the curiosity of it. Rather, she wrongly hears what she has been fearing: disapproval.

I place my hand on the crook of Inoue's elbow, and she is set into motion again. She stands and gives me a nervous and distressed expression.

I can feel my facial features soften.

"I am."

A simple clarification that I punctuate with having my fingers lace through hers. At the action, she relaxes and smiles.

"How wonderful!" Yuzu exclaims as she rushes toward us. She then hugs Inoue, who is more surprised than she should have been.

"Way to go, Ichi-nii! Who'd ever think that you could land someone like Orihime-chan?" Karin remarks as she leans on the wall, watching Yuzu gush over Inoue who then pulls Inoue toward the kitchen. Poor Inoue barely has the time to give Karin a big smile before she is whisked away.

"Not me, that's for sure," I comment as I trail after the two. Karin follows behind me.

"You know, I am really impressed. My idiot of a brother is dating the prettiest girl in Karakura High School."

"So that's what you meant when you said you knew it."

"Well, yeah. I mean, I couldn't be 100% sure about it. I just knew that the rumors of the prettiest girl at your school dating someone and that cake that you received were around the same time. So I put two and two together."

I glance over my shoulder.

"Smart kid."

She snorts.

"I'd have to be a dummy or oblivious not to realize it was Orihime-chan." She looks at Yuzu who is chatting away with Inoue as she stirs something in a pot. "Correction: I'd have to be Yuzu not to realize it was Orihime-chan."

I smirk as I take a seat. Karin sits beside me. We watch as the other two giggle in glee.

"Hey. It's not so obvious. There are a lot of pretty girls at my school." I say to defend Yuzu. "Or so I'm told."

She chuckles.

"Sure, there are. But the keyword was 'prettiest.' And she," Karin nods her head in Inoue's direction, "is definitely the prettiest."

I stare at the focus of our conversation who finally looks at ease. At peace. Whose laughter fills the room.

"That she is."

"Besides…it had to be her."

I break my gaze to look at Karin.

"What do you mean?"

She shrugs as she looks away.

Before I can repeat the question, the one person who I hoped would've been to busy to come to breakfast shows up. The one person who was the main reason why I have been so reluctant to bring Inoue here.

"What's with all the commotion?" Dad asks in his usual exuberance.

Inoue stops what she is doing to give a bow.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-san."

"Orihime-chan! What a pleasure to see you! What brings you here so early?"

"An-ano…" she begins nervously.

"Ichi-nii wanted to introduce his girlfriend to us," Karin explains.

Dad already knows that Inoue and I are together, but he acts like he doesn't as he wildly looks across the room in exaggerated movements.

"Oh? Who could the unlucky lady be? Where is she?"

Yuzu crosses the room and playfully slaps dad's arm in mock anger.

"Don't be mean!"

"Umm…I am not sure about the unlucky part, but I am Kurosaki-kun's…you know," Inoue fumbles out with a blush.

At this, I hold my breath as I scrutinize my dad closely. Waiting to see his response. Waiting to see how I'll respond to his response.

His face brightens and tears stream down his face in embellished fashion.

"Masaki!" He screams with a grin as he runs toward mom's poster. "It's happened! It's finally happened!"

"Is that a good sign?" Inoue whispers.

Karin laughs.

"Are you kidding? He's probably happier you two are dating than Ichigo is."," she remarks. Inoue lets out a deep breath. A breath of happiness? Of relief? Whichever it is, it has my stomach clenching in the worst way.

Why the façade? Why mess with her in this way? Why make her happy when it's a lie? Why smile, why hurt her in this way?

Why are you doing this, dad?

But I can't ask the question. I have to let it go because bringing it up would risk Inoue hearing his answer, and I couldn't do that to her. So I let the scene play out as it does. Sisters surrounding the girl I've been enamored by, attaching to her in a way that warms me. The undecipherable dad who gives laughs too freely, who offers false smiles too readily. The girl whose lips parts in wide grins, whose happy reiatsu fills the kitchen before wrapping around me in a calming embrace.

It's only when we sit at the table to eat that I realize that I've been wrong from the beginning. It's only when I see dad tousle Inoue's hair as she shyly admits she's graduating top of our class with honors that I realize that my dad isn't totally lying to Inoue. That the fondness that leaps out of him when he congratulates her isn't insincere. That what I thought I knew was actually skewed and initially flawed.

It's only when I see how proud of her he is that it finally sinks in, that the truth finally takes it true form.

He likes her. Plain as day, he does. Maybe he always has. Maybe he has always had a soft spot for her. Maybe he carried around guilt from that day, maybe he never forgot that broken girl who carried her brother on her back. Maybe that guilt grew into something else over time as she became a permanent fixture in my life. Or maybe he likes her for nothing other than her being herself. Maybe he just fell into her magnetic pull just like the rest of us.

But regardless, he likes her. I can see that, and I wish that I hadn't because that leaves only one explanation that reveals his damning disapproval on that monumental night.

He likes her. He likes her, but he doesn't like her _for_ me. And it should be the same sentiment. His disapproval remains unchanged, but it is entirely different. Because I had wondered why he couldn't see her in the way that I do. I had wondered for naught because he sees her wonderful traits and her kind attributes. He sees it all, and for some reason, for some dismaying reason, he has deemed her unfit for me.

She is not good for you, he had said. How can he see her, like her, and say those words to me? How could he mean them? It made no sense.

And for that, I resented him.

But I keep things as light as I can. For her, I let his undecipherable condemnation leave me my thoughts. For her, I try to remain in the moment. I just try to focus on the real meaning of this gathering and how important this day is to me, to her, to us.

And it is important.

Because today makes it real. Introducing her to my family, bringing her into this intimate part of my life, into this part of my world, it has me realizing that she fits perfectly into this facet of my life. That she is no guest in my house, no visitor in my life. That she is just like my sisters, my dad, and my mom to me. To me, just like my family, she is _home_.

Which makes me wonder…how important am I to her?

That question's answer isn't immediately known, but the hug she gives me as I drop her off at her apartment, the happiness she expresses about meeting my family, and the shy kiss she places on my cheek are all enough to satisfy my curiosity. For now, it is enough.


End file.
